ML646815402

Observation details

Continuing from 12/8 by Paul M. Thank you, Paul, for this stunning beauty!! :)) Female-type with a messy face, but still gorgeous. Pale UTC but not highly contrasted against its buffy/off white underparts; pale supercilium that extends post ocular contrasted against a darkish brownish-gray (?) mask and white lower eye arc; small white patch/“handkerchief” on its darkish wings but lacks wingbars; olive-brown upperparts with a hint of a slate-blue hue more prominent on its upper tail and shoulder when in proper lighting. Post observation via photos only - light legs, monochrome with its underpart coloration; dark, slightly decurved bill. 0643 to 0645 and periodically from 0735 to 0809 - When Alex and I walked up to the stakeout spot in the NE corner of the LDS parking lot, we immediately observed her foraging on the ground at the base of a small bottlebrush (32.879949, -117.244391), making "tik" calls reminiscent of a hummingbird, like an Anna's with a little delay in between each call. She then made her way into the bush, and continued to forage on the ground and visited the short bottlebrush bushes in the area before making her way up the gum tree (?) with the pink blossoms (32.880005, -117.244432), briefly foraging on its nectar before disappearing towards the adjacent yard, north of the lot. She then eventually returned and stayed mostly in the gum tree with the blossoms, and the "stick-like branched tree" (I don't know my trees and Wurster wasn't with me lol) immediately left/west of the gum tree. Flits around in the shrubbery and trees, feeding on the nectar. Fast wingbeats, hovering over blossoms like a hummingbird, and just as active. Briefly preened in the safety of the "stick-like branches", but mostly hyperactive when present. Chased after a RCKI at one point, but was outnumbered when another RCKI joined in and the Blue sought refuge inside the canopy. Luckily, it came back out not much later to continue her show.