wildlightphoto Posted September 12, 2014 Share #1  Posted September 12, 2014 Advertisement (gone after registration) I've spent a few days observing the action at the hummingbird feeders in my yard in eastern Sacramento County. The hummingbirds we typically see here are the resident Anna's Hummingbird and the Black-chinned Hummingbird, a migrant that breeds locally and winters to the south. Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/233741-hummingbirds-in-my-yard/?do=findComment&comment=2668234'>More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted September 12, 2014 Posted September 12, 2014 Hi wildlightphoto, Take a look here Hummingbirds in my yard. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
wildlightphoto Posted September 12, 2014 Author Share #2  Posted September 12, 2014 The Rufous Hummingbird breeds as far north as southeast Alaska and its fall migration normally takes place in the western mountains where the last blossoms of the summer fuel the tiny bird's journey.  My yard is not on a major migration route so I was quite surprised to see a Rufous Hummingbird at the feeders.  The bright gorgets of the adult male hummingbirds make identification easy, but the females and hatch-year birds can be very difficult to distinguish in the field; one must often rely on details like the shape of certain tail feathers which are not easily observed without having the bird in hand.  Female and hatch-year Rufous Hummingbirds are nearly indistinguishable from the closely-related Allen's Hummingbird but Steve Hampton (Yolo Co. birding guide) was able to deduce from these photos that the bird in my yard is most likely a Rufous Hummingbird. Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/233741-hummingbirds-in-my-yard/?do=findComment&comment=2668235'>More sharing options...
wildlightphoto Posted September 12, 2014 Author Share #3  Posted September 12, 2014 On home territory hummingbirds can be very territorial, and even the Rufous Hummingbirds claim and defend temporary feeding territories in the sheltered mountain valleys that form their migration path.  Hatch-year males typically begin growing their showy gorget feathers by the end of summer so the extent of gorget plumage growth allowed me to identify as individuals several of the male hummingbirds and thus establish a minimum number of birds visiting the feeders. I was able to count a minimum of 4 male Anna's Hummingbirds and also 4 male Black-chinned Hummingbirds. Add the Rufous Hummingbird and the Anna's and Black-chinned females and there have been a minimum of 10 hummingbirds at the feeders.  My two hummingbird feeders are one-holers so not everyone can feed at the same time. Dawn and dusk are the most active times at the feeders, dawn because the birds have been fasting all night, and dusk to top off the fuel tank to get through the night with energy reserves.  Competition for the feeders is intense and combat for space, both inter-species and intra-species, is the norm. Only twice did I observe feeder sharing, both times involving two female or hatch-year Anna's Hummingbirds. A few times it looked like a couple of hummingbirds had agreed to a truce and were going to share a feeder when a third (or more) hummingbird declared war on both and disrupted the peace.  Ten+ hummingbirds fighting over two feeding ports is chaos! The single Rufous Hummingbird was dominant followed by a hatch-year male Black-chinned Hummingbird and an adult male Anna's Hummingbird. Some of the less-dominant birds adopted a stealth strategy, lurking in the shadows waiting for a foolish or gutsy hummingbird to test the dominant bird's resolve. The resulting battle often sent the dominant bird in pursuit of the fool to the neighbor's yard allowing the lurker to sneak a sip.  Without further verbiage, the photos follow:  Rufous Hummingbird Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/233741-hummingbirds-in-my-yard/?do=findComment&comment=2668236'>More sharing options...
wildlightphoto Posted September 12, 2014 Author Share #4  Posted September 12, 2014 Black-chinned Hummingbird, hatch year male (note the violet feather growth on its throat): Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/233741-hummingbirds-in-my-yard/?do=findComment&comment=2668237'>More sharing options...
wildlightphoto Posted September 12, 2014 Author Share #5  Posted September 12, 2014 Anna's Hummingbird adult male: Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/233741-hummingbirds-in-my-yard/?do=findComment&comment=2668240'>More sharing options...
wildlightphoto Posted September 12, 2014 Author Share #6  Posted September 12, 2014 Female or hatch-year Anna's Hummingbird threatening another hummingbird: Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/233741-hummingbirds-in-my-yard/?do=findComment&comment=2668241'>More sharing options...
wildlightphoto Posted September 12, 2014 Author Share #7 Â Posted September 12, 2014 Advertisement (gone after registration) All photos: Leica R8 / DMR, Leica 280mm f/4 APO-Telyt-R. All comments welcome. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pauledell Posted September 12, 2014 Share #8 Â Posted September 12, 2014 Doug, Â A sensational series of photographs and the interesting narrative. As usual, cutting edge sharpness. Â Paul Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
k-hawinkler Posted September 12, 2014 Share #9 Â Posted September 12, 2014 Doug, Â Many thanks. Terrific stories and images, as always. Â Last year we had a similarly busy hummingbird crowd, but I didn't notice the same this year. We had the Black-chinned Hummingbird and the Broad-tailed Hummingbird that were joined in August by the further north breeding Rufous Hummingbird and the Calliope Hummingbird. A male Rufous Hummingbird established himself as the dominant bird, keeping himself busy chasing all the others around. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
euston Posted September 12, 2014 Share #10  Posted September 12, 2014 Wonderful photos! It’s interesting to see some of the birds perched on a branch as well as hovering. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay B Posted September 12, 2014 Share #11 Â Posted September 12, 2014 Fantastic Doug, can't wait to see next years calendar. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iduna Posted September 12, 2014 Share #12 Â Posted September 12, 2014 Doug, Â all your work is admirable. It is fascinating to follow you rnarrative and information. You rpictures are sensational and a great pleasure to have this shared adventure. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Henry Posted September 12, 2014 Share #13 Â Posted September 12, 2014 Doug, you are a famous bird photograph ! Always nice and impressive pictures. I like all ! Thanks Best Henry Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Barry Posted September 12, 2014 Share #14 Â Posted September 12, 2014 Superb photographs of notoriously hard-to-shoot little zoomers. And the narrative is most interesting. These are at a level most of us will never approach, but they show what can be done when you have both talent and initiative. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
platypus Posted September 14, 2014 Share #15 Â Posted September 14, 2014 Wonderful work, so professional. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
allamande Posted September 15, 2014 Share #16 Â Posted September 15, 2014 What a superb treat! I can never get enough hummingbird photos and these are gorgeous. We have lots of hummingbirds in our garden and the experience of watching them going about their routine somehow gets more exciting and wonderous with every passing season. Â Thanks for this thread, together with all the information. Much enjoyed. Â Ece Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hank Taylor Posted September 15, 2014 Share #17 Â Posted September 15, 2014 Doug, just great thanks hank Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stuny Posted September 16, 2014 Share #18 Â Posted September 16, 2014 Wonderful, and better than any bird ID book I've seen. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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