Patience, Luck, Auto setting and a zoom lens

While on holiday, each morning as I sat sipping coffee on the patio we had a hummingbird visit.  I had my camera on the table, zoom lens attached and sat patiently waiting for just the right moment to capture this lovely hummingbird.  

Man alive are they ever fast little things! and they never stay long enough in one place to allow you to focus and frame your shot.... so I resorted to setting my camera on Auto Action and put it in Continuous mode so I'd get 4 - 6 shots fired off in a matter of seconds.  

After several mornings of patience and luck I did get a few photos that aren't too bad. 

I'll also leave you with an image of a color plate illustration from Ernst Haeckel's Kunstformen der Natur (1899), showing a variety of hummingbirds. I like this particular illustration.