ML627855865

Observation details

Continuing bird. Female-plumaged hummingbird with iridescent green extending from crown to central rectrices. Small white patch behind eye, and pale line over eye, but lores dark. Pale underparts have gray scaly markings across belly (more pronounced toward flanks, vague on central breast and belly), much green on flanks, and no buff. Photo of underside of spread tail shows basal half of each rectrix to be gray, remainder black with white tips of variable extent (about 1/4 of outer rectrix, but little or none on third and fourth feathers from the outside). Squarish gorget usually flashes orange, but sometimes orangish-red. Bill seems short compared to familiar Black-chinned; length from tip to base is about the same as the length of the head front to back. Calls sound like an electrical “tzit,” identified by Merlin as this species. Squabbled briefly with another hummingbird. Not seen during 30 minutes of monitoring the blooming tree tobacco in the bottom of the cove where originally reported. Only seen thanks to Rachel, Connor, and Norton who had located it perched in the sun on branches of a half-dead juniper on the lake bluff about 100 yards to the SW of the cove.