ML608599470

Age

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Sex

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Observation details

*****HOLY ARCHILOCHUS!!!!!! Full details to cbrc. Pending acceptance would represent the first record for Mendocino county. Feeding on nosturtiums and alders here: (39.1278001, -123.7157375). Observed from ~8:10-10:12 with approximately half that time the bird was in view, and then again just before 11 as I was passing back upslope. Description: Small, slender hummer in between size of seladphorus and annas. Electric green back, extending from tail all the way to the crown, without any discernible difference between the color of the crown and the color of the back. The underparts contrasted sharply with the bright, pearly whitish underparts, distinctly whiter than the adjancent annas in the same patch. The bird had a pronounced and prominent “mask”. Bold white crescent behind eye. Flanks washed dull green. The throat was overall very clean whitish, with dark spangling up and down the whole length. On a couple of occasions the bird tilted in such a way that a single red gorget feather was visible, though I only saw this three times: once thru bins, and twice in the scope. I was able to photograph the outermost primary to confirm it was narrow-tipped and not blunt-tipped as it would be on a black-chin. The bird called perhaps a dozen times, all typical liquid Archilochus calls, solidly similar to selas and indistinguishable from black-chin to my ear, and totally different from annas. I was unable to get recodings of the call, as it would give it once then stop for minutes

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Original file size

13.25 MB