Interesting day at hummingbird feeder in Las Vegas NV – not the usual type of day

                My hummingbird feeders under the patio cover of my Las Vegas home are in such a place that I can watch them from the couch where I sit to read and talk on the phone. That way I am able to keep one eye on my book and the other on the feeder. My camera is right next to me, ready to grab and shoot at a moment’s notice. When you are taking pictures of birds, a moment is all you have to get the picture.

                Unfortunately the lighting is often not the best, but by using photo apps I can compensate for some of the problems presented by that.

                Today was supposed to be a ‘significant rain event’ according to the national weather service. All morning the sun shone bright in a totally clear, blue sky. I was able to walk the dogs without the slightest concern for wind, rain and lightning, very much different from what I had expected yesterday. I wondered where that rain event had gone. However, in the late morning clouds started covering the sky, but I was no longer concerned about our walk so I sat comfortably on the couch reading.

Finch concerned about something off to her left

                When I looked up from my book a little after noon I noticed there were two finches at the feeder. As I watched them through the camera screen and snapped pictures, one appeared to look a little concerned at something off to the side.

                 When I looked in that same direction, I saw what the problem was. A Mockingbird had landed on the arm of the patio chair just under the other feeder. I was able to snap a picture before he flew off.

Mockingbird the finch was looking at

As the day went on the clouds got heavier, the wind came up and it began to look as though that ‘significant rain event’ was going to happen after all. At two I was talking on the phone and had the back door open since the day had cooled off considerably. I could see that Costa’s hummingbird was sitting on his favorite perch on the feeder, but I could also hear him whistling. I was very glad that the phone conversation was shorter than usual because when it was done, he was still there and still whistling.

I had wanted to get a picture of his whistling stance earlier in the season, but he was never cooperative about staying around for long while whistling. I don’t know if it was the wind tossing the feeder about and ruffling his feathers that made him want to stay on his perch and whistle, or not. Whatever the reason he just kept sitting and whistling. Sometimes he’d see an extra juicy insect fly by and go off for a snack, but then he came back to the feeder and whistled some more.
To hear the Costa's whistle go to:  http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Costas_Hummingbird/sounds

Whistling Costa's hummingbird, notice the stance and the open bill.

I was able to get as many pictures of his whistling stance as I thought I might need. I could have taken even more, but wanted to get back to my book. Then the finch came back and the Costa’s left. And it finally started to rain, but not until after the dogs got their afternoon walk.

               

Finches replacing hummingbirds in Las Vegas NV - feeders are still busy, but . . .

                Hummingbirds are relatively scarce right now in Las Vegas NV. Oh, I hear the Anna’s hummingbird singing from his high perch early in the morning. Yes, I hear the Costa’s hummingbird whistling from the bushes later in the morning. I see the Black-chinned hummer fly catching from the tallest branch of the tree when I walk the dogs in the early evening. The feeder, however, remains rather quiet. I see only a few hummingbirds drinking sweet water. The ones that do don’t stay around long enough for their pictures to be taken. Except for the Costa’s, who still uses the feeder as a perch at which he can preen himself, stretch and view the world.

Costa's getting a good stretch on his perch

                That is not to say that my feeders are largely deserted; far from it. They are in constant use, just not by hummingbirds. The House finches visit to drink from the ant moat on a regular basis. When the day is hot and the humidity is low they may come every few minutes. Sometimes two at a time will land on the feeder. I tend to think I’ve known this pair of birds since they were first fledged.

Finch getting ready to take a drink

                The only way I could be sure is if I had banded them then, but I didn’t. So I can’t know that I am seeing the same three birds every day, or perhaps I am really seeing a dozen  different birds every day, but I digress. I will assume they are my pair and their mother.

Finch drinking from the ant moat

                The first House finch that came to the feeder for a drink of water from the ant moat was a female. She would come, quickly drink and then be off. It was the middle of the nesting season, so I am sure she was grateful to have found a reliable place to get a quick drink on a hot day, before she went back to her job of being a mother.

                Then came the day that she came to get a drink, but she had two newly fledged children following her. They were recently out of the nest. She was still feeding them while they learned the skill of finding their own food. When she came in for a drink of water, she landed on the feeder, but her babies didn’t have clue what was happening. They couldn’t figure out what she was doing.

                They flew into the patio and hovered two feet above the patio floor facing the glass door, looking like oversized hummingbirds. My tabby cat was standing just inside and got a real thrill out of. Then the two babies flew into one of the potted plants next to the door and waited. When their mother flew off they followed.

Pair of nest mates at the feeder drinking water together

                Now I see two young finches come to my feeder on a regular basis. They often come together and I assume they are the same young-of-the-year that came first with their mom. I still see a single finch coming regularly. I like to think that is the mother who first came to get a drink out of my ant moats.

                I have to add, I am thankful for ants coming to my feeder. Without them I would never have bothered to get feeders with moats, nor kept them full of water at all times. I thought I was just solving my ant problem. I didn’t know that I was also benefiting two generations of thirsty birds.

Hummingbird identification in Las Vegas NV – mysterious immature

                Identifying hummingbirds in Las Vegas NV, where we have numerous species, can be a real challenge. If it is an adult male, no problem, – if you are fortunate enough to see the flash of color from the gorget.

                If it is a female or an immature male, good luck. Even the guide books state that female hummingbirds ‘cannot safely be separated from’ other species. Immature hummingbirds have the same problem too many times. However the immature male hummer may have enough of the male’s distinctions to make a good guess as to its identity.

                Even then, I am so thankful for photography. Hummingbirds are so fast and so small that identifying them, even sitting at the feeder, is a real challenge. It used to be the only resource the naturalist had was to shoot the bird. John James Audubon was skilled in taxidermy because he needed to preserve the bird’s carcass for further study. At one time the only way the occurrence new species for a state would be entered in the state list was if the person reporting it had the dead bird in hand. I often wondered how that proved anything; one could shot the bird anywhere and then claim you did it someplace else. When photography became available photographs were accepted instead of dead birds.

                I find the best way of getting an idea of the hummer at my feeder is to use my camera, then study the photograph for clues to the hummingbird’s identification. My bird-field guides are usually of no help. All show the male, some show the female, but they are usually in flight. My bird is sitting at the feeder and is an immature. These pictures do me no good.

Costa's Hummingbird panting in the heat

                I have learned to look at my hummingbird pictures carefully. I analyze the length of the tail as compared to the primary feathers of the wings. I study the size of the hummingbird. Fortunately almost all my photos are at the same feeder, so my frame of reference is the same for different birds. Then I look for the stance of the hummingbird. I have noticed that different species hold their bodies differently while at the feeder.

                Finally I look to the behavior of the hummingbird. If it is perfectly happy sitting at the feeder and doesn’t budge even when I slide the door open, I know it is the Costa’s. All other hummers that I have encountered are much quicker to fly off with any disturbance; even just seeing me come close to the glass door will send them away.

                After I have examined everything I know to look for on my photo, I Google images of the immature species that I have narrowed it down to. Too often those birds are pictured in flight, but sometimes I get lucky and find a site that shows them seated at a feeder. Then I compare that picture with mine.

                The species that I did this with great results was the same one that had the surprise encounter with the other hummer at my feeder. (August 13, 2013 post)

                I followed through my check list. The tail was definitely longer than the primaries. This eliminated the Calliope and Costa’s. The bird was definitely larger than the Costa’s and Black-chinned and a whole lot larger than the Calliope. This narrowed it down to Anna’s or Broad-tailed. Since I had been hearing the loud buzz of the wings, just not as consistently as in the spring, I tended to the Broad-tailed, but since it wasn’t an adult male that identification was iffy at best.

What I finally identified as a Broad-tailed Hummingbird

                Then I went to Google and put in ‘Broad-tailed immature images.’ There were dozens and dozens of beautiful pictures, mostly not useful to me because the bird was in flight. Finally I came upon one that was seated at a feeder. I went to the site, and compared our two photos. The one identified as a Broad-tailed matched mine. Bingo. I had it.

                The problem is, I tried it again and couldn’t get that picture to come up at all. And I hadn’t bookmarked the site. Now I know better. Bookmark any interesting sites or you may never see them again!

               

               

Hummingbird surprise at my feeder in Las Vegas – when I didn’t have a clue

I was sitting out on my patio enjoying the cool of the summer morning here in Las Vegas. My patio thermometer read 70 degrees, but the forecast high for the day was above normal, around 106 degrees. This was definitely the time to be outside. While I was supposedly reading the newspaper I was really watching the hummingbirds coming in to drink at the feeder.

I keep my camera right beside me when I am outside and right next to the sliding glass door when I am inside. I never know when the opportunity will come to get a good picture. And I take lots of pictures. I read once that a professional photographer expects to take 125 pictures for every one that is usable. Back in those days that meant pictures on film that had to be purchased and developed. That represented a good amount of money. Today, with digital cameras, it is so much easier and less expensive. And you don’t have to wait a week to find out what you took a picture of.

Resting between sips

Cocking his head to see while he cleans his tongue

As I sat there enjoying the coolness, a hummer came up to the feeder. I immediately grabbed my camera and focused in on him. He was drinking, sitting, drinking, and moving his bill around as though he were using it to clean off his tongue. Then I saw him lean to the side so that he could look up.

Since birds’ eyes are on the side of their heads, they have to cock their heads to see what is coming at them. All animals that are not predators have eyes at the side of their head to give them better side and back vision. This makes it easier for them to spot an approaching threat.

I kept taking pictures, hoping that what he was watching for was an insect. Maybe I might get lucky and get a shot of him taking off to fly catch. When I looked at the camera's screen to see what I had taken a picture of no one could have been more shocked than I.

It was a picture of another hummer coming in to the feeder and making an attempt to chase the perching bird away. You can see looking at the picture that the seated bird has shifted his position to be as far from the incoming bird as possible, without actually leaving his perch. He is also leaning back, his talons are holding on the top and bottom of the perch so as to brace himself and keep from falling backwards.

Sitting his perch against an invader

That picture was certainly worth the time sitting in the coolness of my back patio.