The Chuparosa Challenge-Devil's Play

I think you may have been waiting for an update, yes???  Well this blogger has much up his sleeves:)  How did I have so much time to do all of this?  Well, TV is pretty bad these days and life is pretty exciting. And there's a whole lot more fun outside than inside. What I want to know is how I can do all this walking and not lose weight!!!???  So the Devil???

Well if you haven't guessed it yet, I found another gem in the hummingbird world at Ash Canyon!  The name is Lucifer.  Or another name for Satan.  If this is what Satan looks like, I may be tempted to join in on the fun:)  But come to find out....it has nothing to do with the Red Guy at all.

In Latin, lucifer means "light-bearing" and was applied in Old English to the morning star. Thus, when William Swainson named the Lucifer Hummingbird in 1827 he might have been thinking of the luminous glow of its colors. The male Lucifer's outer tail feathers are hard and narrow, and hum loudly during aerial displays. He performs a zigzagging dance to attract females and repel other males.

One of the distinguishing features of this hummer is the decurved (downward-curving) bill.  Reminds me of a Depeche Mode video or a distant relative the Ibis:)  Another new word for hummer fans to add to their must know lists....gorget, swording, and decurved:)

On this particular day, the hummingbirds were out in high numbers meaning they were EVERYWHERE!!!  Not just the Lucifer but lots of other species. August and September are the high months for hummers to migrate through Arizona to get to Mexico and Central America for winter.

When I saw this guy, I nearly flipped.  I wasn't expecting him as I was looking for the Rufous.  So as you can imagine....it was quite the treat:)

Many times I'll go out on the Rare Bird Alert site for New Mexico and Arizona to help me zone in on the hot areas for birds and then just go.  In fact, I went this day again looking for the Starthroat and ended up with most excellent finds:)  But will I ever find the Starthroat??!!

By the end of this challenge, I feel like I will be able to write a paper on these birds.  It has been a wonderful adventure into a world of exciting and colorful birds. Birding with hummers isn't difficult at all and the people who bird for hummers are always interesting.  The most hiking I have done for a hummingbird mission was in Montosa Canyon for that elusive Plain Capped Starthroat:)

Agave blooms on the hills and in the canyons are the preferred foods for most hummers like the Lucifer.  Plus there is a plentiful collection of bugs this time of year for them to do their "hawking". 

There will be more on the Chuparosa searches.  I'm not done yet:)  Remember I have written these posts back in August and I'm at the high point of hummer season:)  A special "thank you" to Mary Jo for the telephone conversations and info about these hummingbirds.  More tomorrow....