ML178222271

Age

Not specified

Sex

Not specified

Observation details

Photos. While watching the hummingbird feeders around 6:30 PM on August 30, we noticed a hummingbird that was different than the Calliope Hummingbirds. Our first impression was Black-chinned Hummingbird, since we have very limited experience with Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, but being unsure of the identification we got out the field guides for comparisons. At that point we started thinking this bird could a female Ruby-throated Hummingbird. The darker wings with seemingly pointed primary feather tips, and the dramatically forked tail extended well past the primaries. The nape and crown were bright green. As is noted in Sibley this bird did not bob its tail while hovering. It was also quite aggressive toward the Calliope Hummingbirds, chasing them and guarding the feeders. Not totally convinced we were looking at a female Ruby-throated Hummingbird, we sent out a message on the Montana Rare Birds Facebook site. These are the responses: Alex Sundvall That green cap is pretty good for a Ruby-throated as well. What made you say Black-chinned? Tamie Hoffman Parker Range, and the collar. Alex Sundvall This is why I should check what group I was commenting in! (note: this guy is actually in Wisconsin, who follows a number of bird lists) Andrew Guttenberg Interesting! The bill isn’t very long and curved, the primaries aren’t curved and “blobby” on the tip, and the crown seems bright green... Tom Forwood Jr yeah, that green cap grabbed me right off! Lugene Fischer Gerber Young female ruby! Jan Thom I have 2 or 3 of these at my Billings feeder as well. They just showed up yesterday & are still here today. I also discussed the bird’s appearance at length with Andrew Guttenberg, when he came over the following day and then again the next morning. The hummingbird was coming to the feeder until it was getting dark. Photos taken that night were extremely poor due to the low light. The photos on this list were taken before 8 AM on August 31. The bird seemed wary and not very approachable for photos. I last saw the bird feeding on insects about 9 AM on the 31st. Andrew and I watched the feeders till nearly noon that day and again the next morning from 7:15 till after 9 AM.

Technical information

Model

NIKON D3200

ISO

3200

Focal length

420 mm

Flash

Flash did not fire, auto

f-stop

f/8.0

Shutter speed

1/400 sec

Dimensions

1192 pixels x 1010 pixels

Original file size

348.64 KB