ML610293683
Contributor
Date
Location
- Age and sex
- Immature Male - 1
- Sounds
- Call
- Playback
- Playback not used
Observation details
Lifer! Continuing bird originally found by Bill Hill and seen today hanging tin and around the pomegranate tree and surrounding salvia. It tended to stay on the other side of the fence and rarely ever perched anywhere other than behind a lot of obstructions, but it did occasionally fly out into the open. In flying and foraging it seemed slightly faster-paced than the Anna's Hummingbirds were on average. Compared to Anna's it seemed slightly smaller, but also a bit longer with more tail and a somewhat waisted appearance in flight. It was a deeper shade of green on the back with teal coming in on the flanks and upper breast and a dark blue uppertail. It's rather wide-based bill was pink-based, and dark-tipped with the pink color extending further down the top and bottom of its bill and the dark creeping back toward the base on the sides. It's calls seemed similar to a Ruby-crowned Kinglet, but they came in more rapid sets and were different in another way I'm finding difficult to describe. Perhaps the hummer is somehow less musical-sounding, even though I'd never describe RCKI calls as harmonious. Anyway, it was more than just timing and sequence that distinguishes them. It was a super busy week, and I had been dying to get out birding especially given there were several continuing would-be life birds in the area. The night before I was trying to decide between American Golden-Plover (Pt Reyes), Scissor-tailed Flycatcher (Bodega Head) and this hummer, but it ended up being a pretty easy decision. This one was a little further away than the other two, but it was clearly the rarest and prettiest of the three. It didn't take very long to hear but was much less cooperative for photos. Fortunately another birder showed up and we had a nice conversation while watching and waiting as this little guy made his very brief forays into view. We also got to speak with the property owner who seemed like a really cool guy who clearly loves nature and was excited to be hosting this exotic visitor.
Additional species
Technical information
- Recorder
- Microphone
- Accessories
- Original file size
- 192.98 KB