​I will be writing about how hummingbirds, bees, and dragonflies move in erratic patterns, and why they fly so fast. I love taking pictures of hummingbirds, bees, and dragonflies but they are very hard to get in flight. I have my own strategy of photographing very fast animals though.

Ok, so first up is why hummingbirds fly in erratic patterns. Hummingbirds actually move their wings in a figure-eight, so they can fly fast in any direction, up, forward, left, right, or even backwards! They move so fast, most of the time they hum. Most hummingbirds beat their wings 52 times per second.
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The second thing is why the fly so fast. They fly so fast so they can hover to get to flower to flower very fast to get all the nutrients they need. Hummingbirds do not have strong legs so they have to hover while they get the nutrients from the flowers.

This black-chinned hummingbird just hovered for a couple seconds then flew away.  Interestingly, it’s not actually a black chin at all, but a bright purple chin!  You can only see the purple part when the bird puffs it out.  EXIF info: F/8, 1/2500th of a second, ISO 800.
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This is a bumble bee pollinating flowers.  EXIF info: F/8, 1/2000th of a second, ISO 800.

​Bees are also hard to capture. Bumble bees are not very fast, but they fly in very unknown patterns, so you don’t know where they will be next.  Bumble bees beat their wings about 230 times per second.

Bees fly in very erratic patterns because they are trying to dodge birds that might eat them, but they also travel in weird patterns to get to another flower so they can pollinate it. Bees store their pollen in their second pair of legs. They bring the pollen back to the hive, so they can later use it as food. When they are doing this process, they get pollen from the male plants, and deliver it to the female plants.

This is a dragonfly hovering over the water.  EXIF info: F/5.6, 1/2500th of a second, ISO 400.

​Dragonflies are very fast and fly in erratic patterns. They are very hard to track with a camera lens. If they are flying over water, look for their reflections, then look up above the water and you might see them. Dragonflies beat their wings about 30 times per second.

Dragonflies fly really fast because they have thin wings, which makes them able to go up to sixty miles per hour. They fly in erratic patterns so they can dodge predators. Dragonflies spend a lot of their time just eating other insects.

When I first started photographing wildlife, I could not tell the difference between hawks and eagles. With time and research I learned how to tell them apart. So for those who might have the same problem distinguishing the difference here's what I know. Even if you aren’t having trouble, still read on, you might learn something!

If you see an adult bald eagle, you will probably recognize it because it’s U.S.A’s national symbol. Juvenile bald eagles are tricky though. If you see a juvenile bald eagle, it often gets confused with a red-tailed hawk. The red-tailed hawk has red tail feathers if it is an adult, so it is easier to tell the difference between it and a bald eagle. But if it is a juvenile bald eagle and a juvenile red-tailed hawk, then how do you tell the difference? First, you can look at the size. Bald eagles, even juveniles, are much bigger than red-tailed hawks. Juvenile red-tailed hawks (and adult ones) have white spots on their back creating a V shape. So also check for that when you are trying to tell the difference. Hawks have a leading dark part under their wing. They also have a “Belly Band”, dark speckles over their belly.

First, let’s talk about eagles. Eagles are bigger than hawks, and they also have a greater wingspan than hawks. They are also more powerful than hawks. Eagles snatch up their prey and take it to a nearby perch, where they tear it to pieces before eating. Eagles can either hunt on land or at sea, for different types of prey. Eagles can hunt really high in the air, while still viewing its prey. Eagles sometimes hunt animals much heavier than their own weight. Sometimes even 7-8 times bigger than themselves. Bald eagles often hang in groups, unlike hawks, so if there is more than one “Bird in a tree” (It could also be birds in adjacent trees) then it is maybe a couple bald eagles.

Hawks are somewhat like eagles. They are smaller and less powerful than an eagle though. They are thought to be more intelligent than eagles. They hide in concealed branches, and then dash out fast and hit their prey, then they injure it and take it up to a tree to finish it. Hawks hunt in woodland areas. Hawks hunt low and glide, because they cannot fly as fast as eagles. Most hawks, (After they leave the nest) live alone, unless it is mating season. So if it is alone, it is probably a hawk. Yet it is not certain.

They both have curved beaks, and the same alignment of tail feathers. They are both aggressive birds and attack very violently. They both have very strong talons and beaks. They both hunt during the day and they look like they both have the same flight pattern but eagles are faster. Smaller birds like the Western Kingbird annoy both hawks and eagles for one reason: They don’t like them. Western Kingbirds are grey with a yellow belly, just in case you ever see a small bird annoying a larger hawk or eagle. That is not the only bird that tries to annoy them though, I just gave one example of many. 

​So if you ever see a big bird that needs classification, just remember these tips for classifying a bird that you think is either a hawk or an eagle. I hope these tips are helpful in the future if you are interested in photography or animals!

Above is a captive red-tailed hawk eating a bunny. Also, look at the eye color. It is yellow, so this red-tailed hawk is a juvenile. Adult red-tailed hawks have brown eyes. It is the opposite for bald eagles. They start off with brown eyes when they are young and when they grow up they have yellow eyes. EXIF info: F/8, 1/640th of a second, ISO 400.

Above is  a captive red-tailed hawk. It is a juvenile because of the yellow eyes. See the white V on its back? That is a clue that it is not a juvenile bald eagle as well.  EXIF info: F/8, 1/2000th of a second, ISO 400.

​Above is the back of a juvenile bald eagle. You can tell it is not a red-tailed hawk because it does not have the white V on its back. EXIF info: F/8, 1/1600th of a second, ISO 400.

Above is a wild red-tailed hawk. This picture you can clearly see the eye. So is it an adult of juvenile? EXIF info: F/5.6, 1/1600th of a second, ISO 400.
 
[Answer: Juvenile]

Above - This is another captive red-tailed hawk. You can see the white V on the back. This is an adult red-tailed hawk; you can tell by the vibrant red tail feathers. Juveniles do not get these feathers right away; they have to wait one year. EXIF info: F/8, 1/1600th of a second, ISO 400.

Above is a wild red tail hawk. You can see the belly band across his stomach-chest area. EXIF info: F/6.3, 1/640th of a second, ISO 100.

​Below - Juvenile bald eagles do not have the belly band, they just have spots all over. EXIF info: F/8, 1/1600th of a second, ISO 400.

​This is a juvenile bald eagle (below) eating a fish. You can see he does not have the full white head yet so he is still younger than adults. EXIF info: F/8, 1/1000th of a second, ISO 400.

As you can see on this juvenile bald eagle (below), he does not have the belly band. You can also see the eye color, which would be different from a juvenile red-tailed hawk. EXIF info: F/8, 1/2000th of a second, ISO 400.

Below is an adult bald eagle. He has the full white head and distinct bright yellow eyes, and has no white spots on his back. EXIF info: F/7.1, 1/2500th of a second, ISO 320.

In the fall of 2015, I was scheduled to go a multiple day overnight school fieldtrip called Outdoor Education.  For Outdoor Ed, we slept at a camp in the mountains, learned survival skills and did fun team-building activities.  My mom wanted me to take photos of cool things I saw there.  So, in preparation for that trip, I learned how to use a simple point and shoot camera that we had lying around the house.  We went out on several hikes over the summer while I learned how to use it.
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Here’s a pic my mom took of me on one of our first photography hikes:

​And here’s the pic I took that you see me taking above:

My parents really liked my photos, and wanted to encourage me, so for Christmas, they purchased me a better point and shoot that had insane zoom!  My mom said the zoom could go farther than her camera!

On December 26, 2015, we went out shooting at Cherry Creek State Park to test it out.   I looked across the lake and saw a bald eagle on the other side. I pointed and tried to find it, but couldn’t, I was just too unsteady, plus the camera didn’t have a viewfinder, so I was trying to find my subject using the LCD only. We came across a perching red-tailed hawk, and I tried to take a few photos as it flew off.  But, the frames per second rate was also not fast enough to capture it, so I could not photograph many birds in flight. (Which is what I REALLY wanted to do, and it quickly became my favorite.)
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Here’s me trying to use my point and shoot:

My mom and I talked about returning the shiny new red point and shoot, and getting a more complex camera for me.  I wanted more control over my images, and wanted to be able to change settings and have a faster frames per second rate. We discussed the pros and cons:  a point and shoot is lightweight and compact, but wasn’t fast enough, and a DSLR is big and bulky, but would allow me to grow with my hobby and give me creative control.  My parents were awesome and returned the snazzy point and shoot and purchased me my first DSLR instead… a Canon T5i.  Two days before the camera even arrived, my mom told me about the exposure triangle. She explained the relationship between shutter speed, ISO, and the F-stop (aperture). Once my camera came, I was really excited, and we went shooting at Cherry Creek again.
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My first day out with the new gear:

I started off with the two programmed modes, Tv and Av. My first two shots that I took were of Harold, (we named the hawk because he is always around, and very tolerant of people) in flight. I thought they were fantastic. I loved the quality and sharpness of the photos. I’m so glad we made the decision to upgrade my camera!
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Here’s one of my early shots of Harold, the red-tailed hawk.

For the next couple of months, I went out every weekend with my mom to go photograph animals. She took me to different places like Belmar and DIA-loop. After a couple months, I wanted to try using single point focus instead of using all of the points. I also wanted to try full manual mode, so I  could change all of the settings. So one day I tried both, and I got much better shots than I used to! (Or at least I thought I did.) I was really happy and I have been using manual and single focus point ever since.
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So, that’s how I got started!  Now, are you ready to see some of my favorite shots??

I am interested in falconry, so my mom asked some falconers if we could tag along when they took their birds out hunting.  This is Lila, a captive juvenile red-tailed hawk.  She was flying past her owner, to land on a pole and I happened to be in between so it looks like she’s coming right at me.  EXIF info:  1/800th of a second, f/8, ISO 400.

​While my family was vacationing at the Grand Canyon, we popped over to Bearizona, and I snapped this pic of a captive fox.  It was pacing it’s cage like it was bored, so I happened to get really close to it and then zoomed in all the way for this close-up.  EXIF info:  1/2000th of a second, f/5.6, ISO 400.

We went looking for big horn sheep at Waterton Canyon.  I like going there because you can get really close to the sheep.  This girl was curious about me!  EXIF info:  1/2000th of a second, f/5.6, ISO 800.

​This is Khaleesi, a captive aplomado falcon.  I had the privilege of photographing her because I attended a birds in flight photography workshop, and the photographer who hosted owns her.  EXIF info:  1/2000th of a second, f/5.6, ISO 400.

​After the birds in flight workshop ended, my friend and I spotted this wood duck hanging around and he kept taking off for medium-ish flights.  I was happy to capture him in flight!  EXIF info:  1/1000th of a second, f/9, ISO 800.

​Sometimes I can’t find wildlife, but I can usually find other neat subjects that call to me.  EXIF info:  1/1250th of a second, f/5.6, ISO 200.
 
I like to take photos at high shutter speeds just in case something excitedly random happens all of a sudden!