: Your photo of the broadtailed hummer is excellent. I've never before seen a
: photo with such a clear view of the wing feathers when the wings are in
: the middle of their stroke. A lucky shot, to be sure!

Carl, you are right it takes a lot of luck to freeze a wing mid stroke. Most photographers use 5 flashes set low while photographing hummingbirds. This captures the color and freezes the action and in my opinion looks very artificial. I try to use bright light about 1 hour before sunset or after sunrise and a distant brightly lit background. The other secret is to snap the photo when they are in a tight maneuver to stop action mid stroke, you will find the stroke is often slower if they are in a maneuver and more similar to the end of a stroke. The only catch is that it makes the focus more difficult. Take 30 pictures and keep one with hummingbirds.