Watching Hummingbirds is a mesmerising treat for British birders. "Hummers" are tiny, incredibly fast, and when seen well, often absolutely beautiful. And they have wonderful names: Ruth’s favourite is the Shining Sunbeam!

I find Hummingbirds challenging, both to identify in the first place and then to photograph. On our holidays the best chances I have are at lodges with hummingbird feeders. Ideally the feeders should not show in the photos, but sometimes that is the only way to capture an image when we are pressed for time. Digital cropping is also very useful!

I have hundreds of photos of many of these species, most of which are not fit to print! The selection here are of those I have been relatively successful with. They include one of my favourite photos: the minuscule White-throated Mountain Gem.

Sometimes , using flash is the only way to obtain an acceptable image. However, hummingbirds have iridescent feathers and the colours do not show as we see them with the naked eye. See more of my hummingbird images using multiple flash in the Guango Lodge Gallery.