The Chuparosa Challenge-When You Wish Upon a Star

 It had been a long summer of chasing a dream.  One that would drive me mad until the goal was achieved.  The shots today are not anything special....or are they?  At first glance, the male Rufous hummingbird shines bright and true.  "You'll know it when you see it."

"You'll know it when you see it."  I kept repeating that line over and over.  I certainly saw the Rufous and his golden glow in the sunlight. But hello there.....who are you to the far left?

"You'll know it when you see it."  I went to every canyon for you and suffered bites all over my body....and not find you.  I look for you in the middle of nowhere and almost got killed by illegal crossers.  I even gave up on you. 

"You'll know it when you see it."  A man doing a "Big Year" came to find you and he did.  I missed you by minutes one day.  Many people missed you and waited and searched and searched for you.

I thought I had seen you once.  I submitted your photo to the rare bird gurus and they told me that I'd know you when I saw you.  I had a picture of something else.   Do I glance you now on the feeder?  Larger than the rest.  Please stay long enough so that I can get a clear shot.  You are the final hummingbird to see for this season.

And I do spy you behind that feeder.  Please come out more.  I know you'll only be around for a very short time. 

Do you know how many nights I couldn't sleep until I found you?

And in your grand shadow and starry gorget I only hope to see you clearly.

Please let the other hummers stop chasing you off.  My heart is beating as fast as yours right now.

And then you chase a female off showing your white feathered back......

......your profile shows the long dark bill.........

......the feeder shows me that you are very large for a hummingbird.......

.......and your gorget shows a dark thick streak of pink........and I know that I've finally found you.  Like a great finale to a beloved TV series, I sigh and smile sharing the briefest of inner applauses inside my head.  I did it!  I spotted you.....you rare rare Plain Capped Starthroat.

I have moved from beginner to low intermediate birder. But please don't quiz me on my buntings, sparrows, or other little bitty flycatchers:)  I'm still studying this group and many others. Today ends the Chuparosa(Hummingbird) challenge for this year.  It was exciting.  Frustrating.  And always educational.  On this day I would suffer over a hundred chigger bites on my feet waiting for this bird.  It was the worst pain that I've felt for this year.  But the price was well worth it.  Two more posts on hummingbirds.  One which includes this years photography stats.  I hope you enjoy the shots.  They were collected from many many hours of observations.  I'd like to thank Warren for planting this series into my brain.  Because of this challenge, I discovered many of our beautiful canyons and just how unique they all are.  I'll be moving into the grasslands soon with Kathie.  Just a few of the many bloggers who inspire me to be a better person everyday.  Thank you all for your own work from your part of the world. More tomorrow.....

The Chuparosa Challenge-Cool Blue

Hey hey hey!  I'm back with another Chuparosa update.  Soon the hummingbird season will be over.  By mid October, most of our summer migrants will be gone.  But before they do leave us, I thought I'd share with you the Blue Throated Hummingbird.

This hummingbird is a giant in the world of hummers.  When I look at this particular bird, two thoughts come to my mind.  One.  The body is shaped in an awkward fashion. and Two.  When we think of hummingbird flight patterns, this is the species we tradionally think of when a hummingbird flies.  It definitely moves much more differently than its peers. 

During this photo shoot search, I spotted this hummer in all canyons along the running streams of the Huachuca mountains.  If there aren't streams nearby, you may have a difficult time spotting this particular hummer.  Today's photos are from the CAS at Beatty's Orchards in Miller Canyon.

Lots of people will sometimes get excited at seeing a blue throated hummingbird and incorrectly label the juvenile male Broad Bill hummer as a Blue Throat Hummer. 

But the markings are very clear and the bird is rather large compared to its counterparts.  I spotted this bird during the last week of August. I had never been to the CAS at Miller Canyon so it was a real treat to sit there and watch the amazing numbers of hummers fly around us.   There was a running stream nearby the hill as we climbed to the top and sat on the bleachers.  Very cool.

It can be difficult picking out hummers at times with the flight frenzy that goes on, but this hummer is easy to pick out.  But be careful not to confuse the Magnificent hummers with this guy.  They are about the same size.

I love how this one curves to the side as it hovers. The shot below captures that movement as it backs away from the feeders.

This bird had been difficult for me to find.  I knew it was definitely at Beatty's but I had old tires on my car that had to be replaced making it difficult for me to get to the top of the canyon on that rocky dirt road.  Once they were replaced, it was the first place with went. 

On this particular rainy day, we'd find them in Carr, Miller, and Ramsey. I have one more surprise for everyone and then a stat update with each hummingbird found featured.  But on this particular day, a trek up Miller Canyon would also prove exciting thanks to a bird tip from a hiker.  Hint.  It has to do with the header of Las Aventuras. More tomorrow....

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!

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....