February 2024 - 5

GRAND PRIZE
Blossom in the beak
(rufous hummingbird)
Park County
Rob Koelling | Powell, Wyoming
Nikon Z 9; 1/2500 sec., f/5.6, ISO 1600
hen I first became fascinated with
photographing hummingbirds, my wife, an
avid gardener, started researching plants
that would attract hummingbirds to our backyard. She
learned hummingbirds are particularly drawn to red,
trumpet-shaped blossoms, so we planted Monarda -
also called bee balm - red penstemons and Mexican
cigar plant. Each was a success and attracted
a steady stream of hummingbirds through our
backyard. Powell is located at the northern end of the
Bighorn Basin, and although there are hummingbirds
throughout the summer in the Bighorn and Absaroka
mountains to the east and west of us, I generally only
see rufous and broad-tailed hummingbirds on their
southward migration from the end of July through the
start of September. They come in singly and in pairs,
stay for a day or two then move on. By the middle
of August, which is when this photo was taken, the
flowers are starting to show the wear and tear of
pollinators and Wyoming weather. Blossoms weaken
and start falling from the plants. Occasionally one
comes off on a hummingbird's beak, as it did on this
rufous hummingbird. Fortunately, it quickly shook off
the blossom. The hummingbirds which show up in my
backyard tend to be shy and skittish. One glimpse of
me and they leave. They typically work the flowers
for a brief time before they head off. I usually have
only a couple of minutes to photograph one. I shoot
in short bursts in high-speed, continuous mode and
hope for the best. The Roman philosopher Seneca
said: " Luck is what happens when preparation meets
opportunity. " I needed a good deal of luck for this
shot. I was fortunate that everything came together
for a split second.
W
Wyoming Wildlife | 5

February 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of February 2024

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February 2024 - 2
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