Hummingbirds have been the hardest birds for me to photograph in flight. Even at a feeder, they move so fast that I need luck to get good shots. In nature they are even more of a challenge for a photographer.

But after a flock of Broad-tailed Hummingbirds discovered blue sage growing in Sanitas Valley, everything changed. My friend and fellow nature photographer, Rich Wolf, discovered the hummers there and told me about them.

He suggested that I “might want to get your glass [my lens] out to the bottom of the Sanitas Valley Trail (right off of West Mapleton). The Salvia azurea [blue sage] are attracting a flock of hummingbirds.”

I took his suggestion as soon as I could. In fact, I was so anxious that I got there about 6:45 a.m., far too early. Although sunrise was at 6:27, the sun didn’t hit the flowers where the hummingbirds were feeding until 7:32. I took the opportunity to hike up the trail a bit, which was a good thing, because I hadn’t been there for years.

Hummingbirds Love Blue Sage

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Each of the photos of hummingbirds that Rich and I took were of female Broad-tailed Hummingbirds. I wondered where the males were. They migrate as much as three weeks earlier than the females, according to Hummingbirds.net.

She Approaches the Blue Sage

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She Eats

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