Hummingbird, home

OK, mea culpa... I should probably just call a halt to posting and talking about my adventures with the Sigma supertelephoto. Are these natural history discussions, or are they cleverly disguised ads for a Japanese lens company who is paying me for praise and, of course, giving me a lens for my troubles? Well, it is certainly not the latter, since the Sigma is well used and belongs to a dear friend who, I'm guessing, will eventually want it back. But while I'm blessed with the loan, I'm taking full advantage of the beast to put it through its capturing paces... most of them, anyway. At nearly five pounds, it would be better handled on a monopod, but the lens didn't come with a tripod collar, so all of my pictures have to be hand held. That, for me, is probably the best test of its utility, and, from these shots of a Ruby-throated Hummingbird and a mid-air Crow-Red-tailed Hawk tussle, the Sigma more than lives up to its reputation for tack-sharpness, even in my beleaguered hands. I'd better start collecting returnable bottles along the roadside... or seeing if Sigma wants a spokesman.

Hawk and crow, Miner