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Hummingbirds in the Garden; and maybe elsewhere
Topic Started: Sep 17 2012, 02:38 PM (1,400 Views)
Dana
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WWS Hummingbird Guru & Wildlife photographer extrordinaire
The Rufous hummingbirds have left, gone since the end of August.

One of the distinguishing features between the Anna's hummingbird, our resident variety and the migrating Rufous, is the sound of their wings. The Roufous have a softer buzzing quality while the Annas have a louder whirring sound. Lately that sound has become a noise, a whurrrrr and I have noticed that their feathers have not been in their normal perfect order.


Look at that stubby little tail between the wings.
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Makes his little bottom look very round.
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Edited by Dana, Sep 19 2012, 04:07 AM.
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Dana
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WWS Hummingbird Guru & Wildlife photographer extrordinaire
The Anna's hummingbirds are still here. Two boys seem to live very near and another older male visits as well as a young female though I haven't seen her lately.

They sit in the rain sometimes and have little fluttering showers or rub themselves on wet leaves they fly over and lay upon. Skirmishes still happen when one flies in for a drink when the 'Little Boss' is in that yard.
Front and back yard each have a feeder but the flowers are becoming more concentrated under the overhang of the neighbours' fir trees, a nice dry spot that faces south, in the back yard.

I love my little logitech birdcam. It lost sound once due to getting wet but began working again after drying out for weeks. It cost more to get decent line out to where the feeder is than the camera itself did. I made a cover for it out of a clear large plastic pop bottle and it stays dry now. I had bought another more expensive model but went back to the old one. It's been working fine outside for 2-3 yrs.

The following are short video recordings from the logitech.

Introducing the scrappy 'Little Boss'. He dominates the other birds that enter the yard, including the Rufuous when they were here and they are notorious for being ferociously feisty. There are others who are older birds but they give up when this little guy starts hassling them.
He always sits to feed at a feeder. This is the same one as in the pics above. His tail has now filled out. I don't know why he is taking so long to get red head feathers tho there are a few showing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5SlNbaMlwI

Here's a male who is older than the first bird. His dark head is red in the light. When he takes off the sound of his wings audible. He is sitting on the rest, relaxed. Must know that jr is not around.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZiHuEFiiOU

Here he is again, hovering, with the sound of a multitude of robins and starlings in the background almost obscuring the sound of his wings.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZiHuEFiiOU



Thanks Giving day, I had an in-law come in to tell me that he thought one of the hummingbirds outside was having trouble with its throat. I mimicked a hummingbird's song as best I can and he said it was the same! biggrin 04

I don't think I posted this one before, of the Little Boss singing. I have never seen one sing while right at a feeder. They sing to claim their territory. It makes it a little easier to spot the Anna's males in the wild as they always give themselves away with their song. The Anna's male is the only hummingbird who sings, out of all the hundreds that there are.
The sound of the earnest little singer is cheery on a rainy day. I expect I'll be hearing it all winter.
Video done with the panasonic 900
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0Rb8Un7FrE









Here are some pics of another of the males. He is juvenile, still but it's easy to see his red head dress growing in.
He was sitting out of the rain on, guess what Kahu? Yup, a stem of pampas grass. They don't often sit on anything that large in diameter but any port in a storm. He sat and sang for a while before flying into the purple Passiflora and Armandii. One of the first rains of the fall season. Looking more purple than red in the dim light.

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This is where the youngsters are headed for.
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Bathing one day last week.
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Edited by Dana, Oct 28 2012, 02:46 PM.
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Kahu
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Dana
Sep 17 2012, 02:38 PM
....... and I have noticed that their feathers have not been in their normal perfect order......
Any reason why? Because they are still juveniles?
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Dana
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WWS Hummingbird Guru & Wildlife photographer extrordinaire
Because they were molting. Missing a few feathers perhaps encourages them to sit more until they have the new replacements. It does make them sound heavier when they fly.

I was looking at some Grevilleas online this morning. I see that they are native to Australia. They looked like good hummy plants to me so I picked up one red flowered variety I think may be the Juniper-like one described, Canberra Gem, a prickly red flowered shrubby thing I keep in a pot. And last year I found one in a nursery in anther town on sale I thought I'd try and it looks like it will be a winner! Grevillea Victoriae.
The flowers of the Grevilleas look to be made for hummies.
They are not commonly grown here in the PNW but I think their time will come and that as climate changes we will be able to grow more of them. They are useful for hummingbirds especially as some, like the Victoriae, bloom in winter.
http://www.desertnorthwest.com/articles/grevilleas_revisited.html
Edited by Dana, Oct 29 2012, 03:04 AM.
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Dana
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The boys are still with me. They are not all here all the time but often they cavort and jockey for position in the yard. As well as singing, they make noise with their wings that sounds whistle like, one whistle at a time, diving down over a competitor in an attempt to drive it away. When i get a good one I will post a video of that. Tough to be there at just the right time.
I keep two separate feeders, so there is no real reason to fight but they like to dominate the remaining salvias that are tucked under the shelter of trees. I think it warms them up to play like that, too. The Salvia Elegans, a variety of pineapple sage, is tough enough to with stand these temps and keep blooming for while longer.
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Sitting on the tip of a fig tree branch.
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It was cold enough to put frost on the roofs yesterday morning (not today) and I spotted one bathing in the dim light at 7:15
He came in for breakfast a little later.

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They sit where they have a good view of what is going on in the yard, as in the plum tree that is almost bare now. There is one in there on the lower left branch but I don't think you would see it and he is hoping not to be spotted by another hummy, sitting protected from interference by branches.
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Edited by Dana, Nov 9 2012, 04:45 AM.
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Dana - I still have some hummingbirds. I do not put out feeders but I grow a ton of Fushcias and they are still blooming.

However, the ones we have do not have the bright colors yours have, look all gray to me, and yet we live fairly near one another and have the same climate. I know my eyesight is poor, so am I just missing the coloration?
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Dana
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WWS Hummingbird Guru & Wildlife photographer extrordinaire
Likely you have the girls hanging out at your place. They can and do survive our winters. Putting out a feeder helps them do more than survive when it gets cold and draws any hungry males who need topping up. Cold temps prevent bugs from hatching and flying, the main source of cool weather food.
A water feature is also appreciated as all our birds bathe to stay warm. The preening with the water helps spread oil on the feathers and that helps insulate them better against the cold. The wee ones really need that, even if they can go into a torpor in the cold spells though I've never seen them bathe when it is freezing out but they do come to the feeder about every 20 mins or so, then.

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Oldsalt
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I dont remember ever seeing any color on the male
Annas at my feeders during the fall and winter months.
Perhaps its overcast weather or the location of my
feeders but the males only show a grey-black cap.

Edited by Oldsalt, Nov 9 2012, 08:20 AM.
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Dana
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A turn of the head, in the right light, is all it takes for a male to show colour.
This is the little boss. Not fully developed. Surprising so late in the season.
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A fully fledged male Anna's or Rufous has a dark appearance to his gorget (red throat feathers) in a dark place. A little turn of the head gives a hint of red.
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More light, more red.

Edited by Dana, Nov 9 2012, 10:27 AM.
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agate
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Those are really awesome pictures Dana.
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Dana
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I heard about this one on 'As It Happens' on CBC radio, tonight. It is a little older but still sweet.
The sound of a hummingbird snoring in Peru. There is a write up article below the youtube video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pj5huCuhD_Q

For those who cannot access video, here is a link from that article to some incredible photos.
http://s1152.beta.photobucket.com/user/forrestertr7/library/Hummingbirds
Edited by Dana, Nov 14 2012, 04:36 PM.
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agate
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Cute...my cat is laying here by the computer and she jumped up and tried to find the source of that sound...to funny.
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Dana
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A vimeo on banding Rufous in Alberta.

http://vimeo.com/13165237
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Dana
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They are still here and will be my Winter ornaments. A girl has shown up since it's been colder and she is here daily. Very shy when I am outdoors and hard to get a pic of her out there but here at the back door with the webcam/hummycam it's much easier.

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Of course the boys are still here and fighting over yard space. I have another feeder in the front yard under a fir where it hasn't frozen yet thought we've had a few mornings that were below zero but no days of such temps yet.

First thing in the morning.
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And at the last of the light.
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And in the yard, under the fir tree, preening. It's important to keep those feathers in order.
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And no skinny birds around here! Look at that full crop. Full of insects as the little clouds of flying bugs are there on days that are not freezing. This one is sitting on the Flowering Quince Japonica, leafless now. The low, cold winter light makes the red seem purple.
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Sitting close to the feeder in the shelter of the Mexican Mock Orange and Rhodo, out of the NW wind.
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No colour on this girl visible from the side.
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Edited by Dana, Dec 10 2012, 07:22 AM.
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Kahu
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I'm in awe of your photography skills Dana!
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