Great place for birds in the desert southwest: anywhere with watered/green grass + shade trees, e.g., city parks or schoolgrounds. These shots from an early Saturday morning @ La Cima Middle School, Casas Adobes, AZ. (Apropos: “Home of the Cardinals.”)
Hummingbird photos probably Anna’s Hummingbird (f).
HIF (hummingbird in flight) photography is tips: (i) ‘perch-and-flight’; or (ii) pre-focus for hover. Former involves focusing on a perched bird w/ continuous shooting as the bird takes flight; crop out the perch in post-production if needed/desired. Latter (inc. all the shots in this post) involves birds hovering at least occasionally, e.g., eating bugs; pre-focus @ expected shooting plane/distance (approximately), then fine/re-focus if the targe cooperates, + fast/continuous shooting.
Two of beautiful American Kestrel:
