Ruby-throated Hummingbird in Flight

Supposedly, these guys aren't common breeders in South Dakota.  There are very few confirmed records of breeding.  However, many people do seem to have them around all summer long.  The summer of 2008 was a great one for hummingbirds for me.  Our house is right next to the Big Sioux Recreation Area, a State Park.  Throughout the summer, I saw numbers of Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, both in the Park, and at the flowers and feeders at our house.

This is from a extremely large honeysuckle plant that I have right in front of my house.  It's definitely a big draw for these guys, and I constantly see hummingbirds buzzing back and forth from the Park across the street, and this honeysuckle.  There's no doubt in my mind that they breed here, and I'm sure there are multiple nests in the Park across the street every summer.   Nobody has found one though.

This is the best shot of a male Ruby-throated Hummingbird that I've been able to get. It was great to get a nice wing position, and lighting on the gorget so it was lit up in red instead of the dull black you often get from the gorget.  Photo taken on June 4th, 2008 at our house in Brandon.