Rufous Hummingbird in Flight

I was very excited when my wife, son, and I took a family vacation to Arizona in the fall of 2006.   I'd never been to Arizona, and was looking forward to the birding opportunities.  The trip certainly didn't disappoint!! Having still been relatively new to birding, and not having birded hardly at all in the western U.S., the only hummer I'd seen before was a Ruby-throated.

We stayed at multiple locations throughout the state during our trip, including 3 nights in Sedona.  Every morning, before my wife and son would get up, I'd drive the 5 miles from our hotel to Red Rocks State Park, to do some birding and photography.  They had hummingbird feeders set up, and in a very short amount of time I'd added 5 hummingbird species to my life list, including the Rufous Hummingbird seen here.  The red in the background are the red stones used to build the park visitor center, and I took photos of many birds hovering as they waited for a space at the feeders.  That unusual red background is something unique that I really like about the shots.