We are up to our ears in hummingbirds at the moment here in the Wind River Canyon.  There are more than the usual number of birds in the canyon because of the fires in Colorado; that disaster forced birds into this area out of need.  There are Black-Chinned Hummingbirds here in the Wind River Canyon for the first time; and I've been working with the breeding hummingbirds for sixteen summers now.  The Black-Chinned are new to me as a wildlife photographer, we may yet see a posted photograph of one, I hope.

Which leads me to the photo that I just uploaded to my Hummingbird Gallery; a wonderful picture of a Calliope Hummingbird.  He's a real stunner, and always one of our favorites around here.  The Calliope is the smallest bird in North America, about the size of your finger from the knuckle up.  This points out a little something I would like to bring up in this my third blog. 

This photograph of the Calliope, and all the other photographs on my website were taken without a flash.  There is no flash in Nature and never should there be.  Children don't like a flash any more than an animal or a bird.  We should all be aware of our imprint on Mother Nature, and firing off a big flash unit in the eyes of a sensitive creature like a hummingbird is just plain wrong.  I know that there are those that use multiple commercial "pops" to photograph hummingbirds; I've seen the pictures many times and took a course on how to shoot this way; but the birds don't particularly like it, as you would expect. 

When you're out in the local park, the woods, Yellowstone, or even your own backyard; try not to disturb the animals!  You will get much better pictures of that bird or deer if you try to "work with Nature" not against it.  Today's digital technology means that Mother Nature need not be disturbed. 

The camera was my favorite Canon 7D with the 300mm L-series f/4 with a 1.4 extender II.  Incredibly this photo was taken hand held at f5.6 at 1/320; shot RAW and worked and converted in Canon Digital Photo Professional and worked a little in the new Lightroom 5.  Great new software, albeit a tad more complicated to learn than Photoshop Elements.  This Calliope Hummingbird was photographed last Saturday.  Now go out and visit Old Mother Nature, but don't take the flash. 

Calliope Hummingbird,male-Wind River Canyon, WY