ML33454601

Age

Not specified

Sex

Not specified

Observation details

Photographed & voice recorded First saw three similar size hummingbirds hawking insects high (top of canopy height) in an opening over Madera Creek. One was identified as a Starthroat by shape & plumage characteristics, we began considering the other two also Starthroats by the size comparison. A few seconds or minutes later we found two Starthroats perched within a foot of each other and then saw a third bird perched about thirty feet away. All three birds are showing wing molt, a more detailed analysis of the photos could reveal which primaries & secondaries are involved. One of the birds has the slight bill deformity (tip of upper mandible hooked). Many photographs were taken documenting the three individuals and Andrew recorded the voice of at least one of the birds. We left the area after 20 minutes with all three birds involved in a chase with one another. Detailed analysis of feather wear & molt pattern necessary to verify all three individuals were photographed. Laurens' pix:

Technical information

Model

Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XSi

ISO

800

Focal length

250 mm

Flash

Flash did not fire, auto

f-stop

f/5.6

Shutter speed

1/250 sec

Dimensions

1942 pixels x 1295 pixels

Original file size

494.84 KB