Taking a break from the "Looking Back" series, I thought I'd present to you yet another difficult piece from hummingbird observations. Todays post is about how some hummers can um......"mix" at a party. I don't think they throw keys in the bowls like I've seen people do in the movies, but they do um...."cross lines". Which can make the birder raise an eyebrow and wonder what it is they really are looking at! This has happened several times to me over the past photo shoots.
And it is quite frustrating because it's already difficult at times distinguishing females and juveniles in the mix. When there are hundreds of them flying around, it's difficult to make um....heads or tails with these birds:)
Mary Jo, from Ash Canyon, had some fun though. In an email to birders, she wrote this brief message, "The COSTA'S/LUCIFER Hybrid ("Costifer") was back. We believe it to be the same one from 3 years ago. There was a new hybrid to add to the list: a probable BLACK-CHINNED/COSTA'S Hybrid, spotted by Sheri Williamson(hummingbird guru here). His gorget was purple all the way up, and slightly flared out at the sides." So the Costa's are the party birds:) I told Mary Jo that she should copyright her hybrid names...."Costifer" and "Costachin".
Many of these birds you see today are juveniles. I like the shots enough that I couldn't let them go to waste.
It isn't uncommon for this to happen as it occurs with many other animals/birds around the world. If you have cats, just look at the diversity we have with this population. Did you know a Bobcat and house cat can make a "Pixie Bob"? It's true. I had one years ago. He was a big boy and smart as a whip and loved to play fetch.
So if you see a hummingbird and raise an eyebrow wondering what you're looking at, it's okay. I've done it often. We're getting close to the end of the Chuparosa Challenge for the year.
I have some surprises coming up from this hummingbird challenge and there's only two more left to go. We'll have to wait until next year again for the rest unless I disappear to Mexico over the next several months. More tomorrow...
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Hello,
ReplyDeleteVery nice shots!! It's great to see this fantastic bird fluttering. Shot 1 is my favorite.
Greetings, Marco
That is so interesting. I never realized. My father was a bird person and had many books on them. Sadly I never got into those books and now I'm wondering what happened to them. Great shots!
ReplyDeleteThese Hummer shots are just getting better all the time Chris, that first one is superb :-)
ReplyDeletei didn't know all that...
ReplyDeletea Pixie-Bob...for real? is that like a jack-a-lope?! =)
amazing shots chris...of these beautiful little birds that are so hard to get pictures of!! wow!! especially when flying!! how do you do it!!??
(ps- i'm waiting for the eyes to open up on the owl in your header....) happy sunday!
:) Oh you'll see those eyes soon:) That was an amazing day. It was probably the most magical moment in August. We just looked at each other. It was dead quiet in the woods and it was such a peaceful experience. We had hike quite a ways to find the owl and it was so worth the walk. Happy Sunday!!!
DeleteNot only great photos of the Hummers but so artistic too.I agree with Marco, that first one is a show stopper!!:)
ReplyDeleteThey are beautiful hummers and I love the hybrid names. I would love to be there when there are hundreds of hummers flying about. What a neat experience. Awesome photos, Chris!
ReplyDeleteI love hummingbirds! They are so delicate and pretty. Great captures Chris.
ReplyDeletethe mixing would definitely just add to the confusion. :)
ReplyDeleteI never thought of that "mixing", which is odd, since my favorite trees are oaks and they mix like no one's business!!! You're right - it's hard enough telling males and females, but when some mix... Ay yi yi!
ReplyDeleteNever let hummingbird pics go to waste! The hummingbird in your last shot looks like it raided its momma's jewelry box, talk about all decked out :)
ReplyDeleteUwielbiam te malutkie kolorowe ptaszki. Zdjęcia są wspaniałe, a pierwsze jest rewelacyjne. Pozdrawiam.
ReplyDeleteI love these tiny colorful birds. The photos are great, and the first is amazing. Yours.
gorgeous! i can't believe you've caught these guys. Usually the moment any of us is like "a Hummingbird! Get the...", it's gone. I would like to have a feeder, but too afraid I'm setting the humminbird up to be my cat's dinner.
ReplyDeleteGreat photos - I never get tired of seeing your lovely hummingbird pictures. Hybrids are a real added complication in birding id!
ReplyDeleteWhy those crazy little hummers.
ReplyDeleteAmazing hummingbirds Chris and I am not even going to try to identify them! BTW, I have heard of a pixie bob and we think my daughter has one! Oh, and we named him "Bob!" He's tiger-sttiped, has no tail and he walks like John Wayne!
ReplyDeleteChris, I am WAY behind with my blogger friends as I guess you surmised. I was tied up with a project for over a week and a half that I was on deadline for....BARELY made the deadline and the phone rang. My hubby's sister who lives in Oregon and whom we hadn't seen in several years was on her way! We had an amazing visit with she and our niece,and they left on Monday...I am trying to get caught up with my blogs, with my TV shows (smile) with my housework....UGH! :-) So, please bear with me. And I have more company coming in less than two weeks!
ReplyDeleteThis is a wonderful post! I had no idea hummingbirds would inter-mix! I have a photo of one with a very purple gorget that I will re-post soon so you can look at it. I wonder if it's a Costachin!