Lucifer Hummingbird - Ash Canyon B & B , Sierra Vista, Arizona
VIEW LARGE -- (you can really see the gorget detail very well)
No trip to Southeast Arizona would be complete without a LONG visit to Mary Jo Ballator's Ash Canyon B&B to see amazing SE Arizona specialty birds.
One of those specialty birds is the exceedingly RARE Lucifer's Hummingbird. Mary Jo's place is by far the most reliable spot in the U.S. to see and photograph this bird.
I like Ash Canyon B&B for many reasons not the least of which, it is Bird Watcher and Bird Photographer friendly. Mary Jo goes out of her way to accommodate Photographers and makes us feel especially welcome. She also has FLOWERING plants in her garden to allow a much more NATURAL setting versus simply shooting photos of birds at feeders. The viewing area is also very large.
I was gravely disappointed in the new "Grandstand" at the Beatty's in Miller Canyon and it seems that the latest "rules" they have for Photographers using the front row is a death nell for any decent picture taking there from now on. There is simply no way to extend a tripod in the Grandstand seating, so in essence, Beatty's is simply no longer "Bird Photographer Friendly". Unless they change the rules for Photographers, my years of visiting their feeder area will be over.
Thusly, I can now only recommend Mary Jo's Ash Canyon B&B and Tony Battiste's B&B for Bird Photography in Sierra Vista.
Even now with the death of Mrs. Patton, the people running the venue there in Patagonia treated me rather coldly upon my arrival with Ed and Sharon and directed "us Photographers" to another area of the back yard totally non-conducive to picture taking.
We left within seconds of our arrival.
There is nothing so constant as change.
Ed & I even discussed the possibility of buying a place out there and creating the most sophisticated and elaborate venue for Bird Photographers only, because we were so disappointed with the Patton's and Beatty's.
As a post script-- I emailed Tom Beatty regarding his "Grandstand" and the new Photography policy---- he could care less about photographers--quite ambivalent as I expected.
He also thinks he has a corner on the 'Hummingbird Market" in SE AZ.
All I can say is "Pride comes before the Fall"!!!
Lucifer Hummingbird - Ash Canyon B & B , Sierra Vista, Arizona
VIEW LARGE -- (you can really see the gorget detail very well)
No trip to Southeast Arizona would be complete without a LONG visit to Mary Jo Ballator's Ash Canyon B&B to see amazing SE Arizona specialty birds.
One of those specialty birds is the exceedingly RARE Lucifer's Hummingbird. Mary Jo's place is by far the most reliable spot in the U.S. to see and photograph this bird.
I like Ash Canyon B&B for many reasons not the least of which, it is Bird Watcher and Bird Photographer friendly. Mary Jo goes out of her way to accommodate Photographers and makes us feel especially welcome. She also has FLOWERING plants in her garden to allow a much more NATURAL setting versus simply shooting photos of birds at feeders. The viewing area is also very large.
I was gravely disappointed in the new "Grandstand" at the Beatty's in Miller Canyon and it seems that the latest "rules" they have for Photographers using the front row is a death nell for any decent picture taking there from now on. There is simply no way to extend a tripod in the Grandstand seating, so in essence, Beatty's is simply no longer "Bird Photographer Friendly". Unless they change the rules for Photographers, my years of visiting their feeder area will be over.
Thusly, I can now only recommend Mary Jo's Ash Canyon B&B and Tony Battiste's B&B for Bird Photography in Sierra Vista.
Even now with the death of Mrs. Patton, the people running the venue there in Patagonia treated me rather coldly upon my arrival with Ed and Sharon and directed "us Photographers" to another area of the back yard totally non-conducive to picture taking.
We left within seconds of our arrival.
There is nothing so constant as change.
Ed & I even discussed the possibility of buying a place out there and creating the most sophisticated and elaborate venue for Bird Photographers only, because we were so disappointed with the Patton's and Beatty's.
As a post script-- I emailed Tom Beatty regarding his "Grandstand" and the new Photography policy---- he could care less about photographers--quite ambivalent as I expected.
He also thinks he has a corner on the 'Hummingbird Market" in SE AZ.
All I can say is "Pride comes before the Fall"!!!