I found a spot where the hummingbirds just thrive during the Oregon winters. I found that with some patience I was able to capture quite a few pictures of the hummingbirds, both in flight and resting. They are quite hard to track with a camera when they are feeding in the wild and I often found myself moving the tripod from spot the spot, and just when I'd get a bird in focus it would be gone. That process went on for about two hours, but the Digital SLR with a zoom lens worked fine in most situations although the sun wasn't in the perfect position. I found that rather than trying to spot the birds with my eyes it was easier to find them by listening to their unique churp and the loud buzzing of their wings. Mother nature keeps true to herself with the colors of the hummingbirds. The males are a colorful green and have a blue tint while the females are brown, white, and black.
My suggestions on camera settings depend upon your camera, but with the birds you want the fastest shutter speed possible while still blocking out noise. It's a fine balance, and having the sun over your shoulder will usually give you the best results. Be patient and listen. Look for dark red or pink flowers in a place with some protection, and you should find the birds. Quite amazing to watch.
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