We have several species of hummers already this year. They showed up about three weeks. We have three feeders out, which of course the most dominate one has claimed. Also have flowers blooming around the yard which they visit regularly. I have been photographing these beautiful little guys for several years, but have always been at or near an artificial feeder. This year I decided to do something a little more challenging by capturing them in a more natural feeding situation. This is much more difficult...you never know which flower they will feed at. I spent two hours yesterday morning and only managed to capture one decent photo. I should ad that I shoot from a tripod, with a remote trigger, focused on a single flower in anticipation that one of the little guys will feed on that bloom.
I would love to locate some local (Austin, Texas) area private gardens with more flora and bigger populations of hummers that would allow me to come and shoot.