Rufous Hummingbird, Crab Cove, Admiralty Island – Image 2672

With its tongue still sticking out, a Rufous Hummingbird finishes its feeding at my friends’ (Joe and Karey) bird feeder. Joe and Karey own a lodge at Crab Cove on Admiralty. I went there to help Joe open the lodge and hopefully photograph bears. I wanted to test my new Wimberley tripod head on top of my new Gitzo tripod using my 500mm lens. I had hoped to test the lens/tripod combination on bears, but the bears were missing. The hummingbird feeder was a perfect substitute test. A 500mm lens is very heavy, and I have had difficulty keeping the lens steady enough to have really sharp images. I have always heard how well the Wimberley tripod head works, and this image shows just how steady the head holds the lens. I am really happy about the purchase. By the way, this hummingbird is about 3 1/2 inches tall and migrates between Mexico and Alaska every spring and fall. There was a whole gang eating at this feeder, and Joe was filling the quart size jug of red sugar water at least once per day. Enjoy the photo and thanks for visiting. Camera body: Nikon D700, Lens: Nikkor 500mm, digital capture© Mark Kelley