Tit For Tat

In the cooler evening after a stinking hot day, I was hoping, yet still surprised, when the hummingbirds came. The prairie is full of cardinal flowers which they love to feed on. Two pairs, I think all female, were engaged in tit for tat dogfights, darting in and out of the shade provided by a maple tree.

I haven't often seen hummingbirds at rest, so this was an unexpected opportunity and, given the low light level, allowed for good detail.

I can understand folks wanting the convenience of photographing birds at a feeder, but it seems more real somehow to capture them in the wild and in their natural context.

Males of the ruby-throated hummingbird don't hang around for long and maybe I've already missed them.