The Chuparosa Challenge-Ru-Fee-OH-s!

Greetings all!  Here is another Chuparosa Challenge.  I'm far from done with this series. There's just a lot going on right now with nature and while I've been on the hunt for hummingbirds, other challenges come up as well as you will see.  It's all about the Rufous Hummingbird today.  All of the shots are female except for one.  These are a golden delight.  They also mark the beginning of migration and the end to our hummingbird season.  By mid October, most will be gone.

Male Rufous

The above pic is the male in all of his glory.  There were too many pics to choose from so I put all of them on for you to get a better look.  The hummingbird season was slow to start this year but picked up around the first week of September with the Rufous being the most numerous next to the Anna's, Broad Bill, and Magnificent.  The pics today were taken in Ash Canyon and Miller Canyon in the Huachuca mountains of Sierra Vista.

One of the questions I asked during this research was, "How do you know if the hummingbird  is Rufous or Allens?"  It's all in the tail feathers and sometimes it's extremely hard for the professionals to distinguish.  Mary Jo, of Ash Canyon B & B, was kind enough to take her time and show me pictures between the two species.   It also comes down to the green on the back. 

But for now let's look at the difference between the female and male Rufous.  The shot on the left is a clear view of the female.  Look at the gorget(throat area).  There is striping there.  The male has a full pink/orangish color along the gorget and if overall very golden. The male tail feathers are also more pointy. In a surprise post coming up, you'll have a two punch pic shot. But needless to say, the male Rufous made a strong appearance with another "Star".

They do make it into Tucson for brief appearances near the end of our summer.  I had one visit some flowers in our garden but most prefer the higher elevations.

Most winter in wooded areas in the Mexico state of Guerrero, traveling over 2,000 miles by an overland route from its nearest summer home.  This is of some concern to hummingbird specialists.  While hummingbirds are quite smart finding new areas to call home, it has been increasingly difficult to find areas where they can settle down.  With habitat loss in Mexico and our forest fires here, it's no surprise that hummingbirds have been challenged.

One of the things that keeps these birds alive and well is their ability to search out new places to nest and breed.  In their early years, juvenile hummers take a kind of "walkabout" and explore new places before returning to the group.  This has given them an edge in the bird world and in fact, some populations of the hummers have been growing!

Here's a new term for hummer lovers....or maybe not.  "Traplining"  Hummers feed by sight and will generally check out anything to see if it is a source of food. Many birds follow a regular route through their territory checking out the food sources several times daily. This behavior is called traplining.  So if you place hummingbird flowers in your garden, this will ensure they come to visit regularly:)

So there you have it.  More updates coming up on these amazing birds.  Below I have a pic demonstrating the differences between Allen's and Rufous hummingbirds courtesy of Sheri Williamson. 

Again, finding hummingbirds isn't difficult here as you just go to places with feeders.  What's difficult about this particular birding challenge is to keep your eye and lens on the target....especially when there are so many flying around.  But the conversations with people around the feeders has been truly a highlight as well.  There are older people who can't bird like they used to but still keep doing it from their chairs. These couples are in their 80's who take out their binoculars and share their experiences with us.  And for that I am grateful.

Female Rufous

Fall has officially begun after this weekends Greek Festival.  Bring on the cooler temps!