WESTERN HUMMINGBIRDS VOL. 11

We came from here-
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1096172/

Hope to find more hummer lovers in the west that will add their pictures here!

My Anna's are always have lots of pollen on their bills from these hollyhocks.

I have to go outside early in the morning before the light is too bright to get my photos.

Last one for today.

Gorgeous as usual.

ducbucin, I lurk here all the time, but have neither the camera nor the light that make your pictures so wonderful. My feeders always have too much back light because of where they are placed, for my viewing pleasure. I do enjoy your contributions. Thanks.

oh, we don't really care about the photos as much as the HB activity. Well I suppose I shouldn't speak for others, but this IS a bird forum, not a photography forum. I enjoy seeing them all.

Well said Mrs Ed, I'm just curious mostly about the species and amount of birds others are feeding since I've lost about 20 or most since last year.

Lovely photos Duc!
Your Hollyhocks are so pretty!

Someone in the NE said her hummers have are gone. I'll go find her and bring her over. Ta.

We seem to have more activity this year, particularly over the last few weeks. Seems to have slowed down a bit with the really hot spell we just went through, however. I think most, if not all, are rufous, though I believe there may be a caliope or two in there somewhere. ID of the females and young birds is SO difficult. It may be, also, that the feeders are much more popluar because our flower blooms are late this year because of the cold, wet spring.

This message was edited Jul 13, 2010 11:58 AM

That must be amazing to have three kinds! Of course we have only one kind here in the midwest so it is easy. I don't want to rush the summer, but I'm looking forward to seeing them return here at the end of August.

Me too Mrs Ed ^_^

I'll try to keep you company here once in a while, Duc. :-) I have several hummer species living in my yard year-round. I haven't posted pics on this forum before, but maybe I can figure it out.

Here's one that's just a little "different" ... a banded hummer. He's an adult male black-chinned. This is the second summer he's been here.

This message was edited Jul 13, 2010 1:31 PM

Hi Geni3 ^_^

Hi Dahlia. :-) I'm still sort of a newbie and haven't found the smilies yet. Maybe somebody will help me out with that...

I live in S Arizona but I've visited Calgary -- many years ago. ( I'll bet you're having a lot cooler summer than we are!) Which hummers do you see there? I'm guessing rufous (maybe Allens?) calliopes, and maybe Anna's?

We have rufous, calliopes and ruby throated for the most part migrating through. The Annas are supposed to be rarely seen here but I think I've seen them. Some hummers nest in the nearby bird sanctuary and Fish Creek Park but most nest further in the mountains.

I was in your luvly city just this winter. We plan to snowbird in AZ so we will be winter neighbours in the future.

Good! Tucson is a great place to live, but for sure you'll find the weather more comfortable during the winter. Our daytime high temps right now are 105º - 110º or so. (High 80s during the night.) The birds are all sitting around with their little bills wide open, trying to stay cooler. The hummers' sugar water ferments pretty fast in this heat ... and most of the flowers are fried!

Where do you go for bird-watching when you're here?

Geni3, I enjoy visiting your area also (particularly when the weather is cool and wet here and warm and sunny there.) Last time I was down that direction, we visited a site near Tubec for bird watching--can't remember the name--and saw a hummer that was a new-to-my-life-list. I am not at a place where I can look it up right now, but I know it had blue on it somewhere. Great fun.

Wow, just looked on line to see if I could figure out the name, and was surprised and thrilled to see that AZ boasts 18 varieties of hummingbirds! Get out your camera, Geni3.

Geni3 I was not able to go birding as we spent all our time looking for places to live. I did however get the chance to talk to folks from the Desert Rivers Audobon group who were wonderful. There is a group in Tucson too http://www.tucsonaudubon.org/what-we-do/birding/fieldtrips.html

Have you met BirdLadie Susie on the SW Forum yet? She is wonderful and a great source. O being a BirdLadie she is probably on this forum alot too.

The place in AZ I am most interested in birding is Patagonia.

Isn't that to die for PNWMG!!! I see alot of time with my field guide in my future.

That's a great shot Geni, can't wait to see more from you when you have time.

Hey everyone, I have to brag! I've been trying for ages to get my friend Geni to post her gorgeous photos here. We're in for a treat now and just wait until you see her hummers.

It takes many, maybe hundreds, of pictures of one particular hummer's band number in order to read the full number and she's been successful a few times.

Dahlia, no I haven't met her yet but will look forward to it.

Thanks, Pele and Duc. The banded hummer pics are never as good as I'd like ... because to get that tiny number, I need to focus right on the band -- or at least the foot . So quite often, the rest of the bird is out of focus, has motion blur, etc. And these are always big crops, because the banded birds are newbies and skittish ... and won't let me be closer than about 10-15 feet.

But I think they make kind of interesting photos anyway, and when I've reported band numbers in the past, the USGS has asked for pics for confirmation.

Duc, Thank you for the nice compliments. :-) Later I'll post some of the other species. There are some Costa's, Anna's, broad-billed, and black-chinned here now. ( I'm seeing males, females, and juvies of all of them, but not nearly as many as during the winter.)

Hi I was sent here because I noticed my hummeres hadnt been around. The heat is as good an explanation as any. Thanks.

Hi ge1836 ^_^

I want to snow bird somewhere!!!!!! :-D


c'mon lottery!

I want to visit IL. Haven't been there since I was a seedling.

Duc thank you for such a wonderful thread and pics. Dahlianut; I just love your sense of humor. I feel as if I knew you. lol.

Here's another Anna's hummer.

My hummers love the water fountains.

I'm still practicing, but here's another one.

Gorgeous photos of your Anna's, Duc! That pink hollyhock is so pretty! My Costa's females are the only ones I ever see in the fountain, and they aren't there very often. In this heat, I'd think they'd all be in there, wouldn't you?

Here's one of the male broad-billed hummers in a palm tree, ready for takeoff.

.... and another. The broad-billed hummers live here year-round. They mate, nest, hatch, and fledge here and often stay for quite a while.

Oh wow Geni3, the male BB hummer is one handsome bird!!!

Hi Lilyluv ^_^ Duc your hummers always look like they are having WAY too much fun in the bath. I've been looking for a solar powered bath like yours and MAN are they pricey here. Geni3 your pic of the BB with his wings spread is OUTSTANDING. I can't wait to see one in person.

Geni, you didn't let me down. Thanks! What a beautiful start. That B-bill is one of the prettiest hummers and the lighting just sets off the irridescent colors.

Dahlia, the solar fountains don't come cheap, but both Geni and I have had ours for a couple years and they're still going. The only problem I see with them is that I have to keep turning my solar panels during the day as the sun comes around the house. It's not much trouble, but mine does need to be cleaned every day with my dirty birds. You could just spray water on any bushes you have that are close to your feeder and the hummers would love the water on the leaves-mine love it in the early morning.

Here's one of my older photos of the hummer bathing in the leaves.

Thanks, Lily. The broadbills really are very pretty hummers. They have more iridescent feathers than the other species, and if the light is just right, they're absolutely amazing to see.

Dahlia, thank you for your nice compliment.

Duc and I both have the "Smart Solar Sunjet 150" fountain pump/sprayer. I got mine at the local Wild Birds Unlimited store (impulse purchase when I saw their lovely display setup) .... and paid way too much for it. Duh....

I'll order the next one online. They're marked down right now at Amazon, and IMHO well worth the price, so I may go ahead and order it now. But you could also Google for 'solar fountain pump' -- and might even find a better price. The mfr.(Smart Solar) stood behind their warranty when my first one had a little problem -- replaced the whole thing without question.

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_k2k_2?ie=UTF8&keywords=solar%20fountain%20pump&index=blended&pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B000AIFWZU&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=0CQJAKKNZAPRPDWXW6HP

And... here are a couple of links with good info for your future AZ birdwatching. :-)
http://tucsonaudubon.org/what-we-do/visit.html

http://tucsonaudubon.org/what-we-do/visit/planning/locations.html