Costa’s Hummingbird

This male Costa’s Hummingbird was working the blooming desert flowers at Boyce Thompson Arboretum this week.

Costa’s Hummingbird

Costa’s Hummingbirds migrate through central Arizona but move on for the summer. Boyce Thompson Arboretum has blooming aloe stalks, penstemons and salvias now, and this Costa’s Hummingbird had many choices of flowers. He stayed around the Arboretum’s Demonstration Garden courtyard for several hours during mid afternoon. When the Costa’s Hummingbird did disappear, he soon returned. He is small and busy, but he made it relatively easy to find and see him, given a little time and binoculars.

There is also a hummingbird feeder in the Palo Verde tree at the edge of the courtyard. A few male Anna’s Hummingbirds were battling over that feeder, while several Anna’s females came and went. We did see the Costa’s Hummingbird use the feeder briefly, but he was mostly feeding from the many, many flowers in the immediate area.

There is plenty of hummingbird action down the path to the Hummingbird Garden and even among the plants set out for sale to visitors at the entrance.

It seems to be an early but gorgeous spring at the Arboretum. Red, pink, yellow, and purple flowers are in bloom, and birds and butterflies are busy working them.

Thanks to Arboretum staff for help and good information. Check out their website for many Spring activities. (Note: If you head out on a Saturday or Sunday this March, plan around the Renaissance Faire traffic.)

Anna’s Hummingbirds are back

Nesting season begins

Side view picture of a male Anna’s Hummingbird with dark red feathers on his head and throat. He is perching on a twig, leaning slightly forward, and looking up and to the side. — Male Anna’s Hummingbird

This Anna’s Hummingbird male claimed our central Arizona backyard and has been around all winter.

But he was usurped earlier this week … by an Anna’s Hummingbird female.

Side view picture of a female Anna's Hummingbird perched on a very thin and thorny twig. She is looking to the side. Her feathers are mostly green and light gray, with a patch of color on her throat. — Female Anna’s Hummingbird

She arrived in December but began fighting to claim the feeder recently. There are several other Anna’s Hummingbirds, both males and females, regularly visiting.

But she is now the one guarding the feeder.

And she has a reason: she is feeding baby hummingbirds in a nest very high up in our neighbor’s Juniper tree.

Her nest is in the same tree that housed the second nest cam nest in May 2013. And for those who followed that nest cam and the rescue, those baby hummingbirds were successfully raised by WildWing Rehabilitation. The young Anna’s Hummingbirds were released by WildWing near the Desert Botanic Garden in Phoenix in July 2013.

Thank you, WildWing, for your work and care. And thank you, everyone, for your encouragement and interest.

We will be getting back to regular posting, so check back in. Thanks!

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Black-chinned Hummingbird young male

Black-chinned Hummingbird

The Black-chinned Hummingbird females and immature males are small and slender hummingbirds with plain plumage. Black-chinned females and immature males may be distinguished from the similar Anna’s Hummingbirds by their smaller size and lighter colored breast. The Black-chinned Hummingbird pumps its tail up and down as it hovers. Bird watchers often use this signature movement to identify them, particularly at crowded feeders with multiple species present.

The small purple gorget patch visible in these photos is probably the beginning of the adult male purple gorget. (This picture was originally tagged as a female. We think that was incorrect. December 2013.)

These photos were taken at Beatty’s Guest Ranch in Miller Canyon, Arizona in 2012.

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Allen’s Hummingbird

A male Allen’s Hummingbird perches on a fuschia branch between flights.

This male hummingbird repeatedly returned to his fuschia perch. He was flying off to feed from the blossoms or to be involved in a series of chases with other Allen’s Hummingbirds. Several of these small hummingbirds were in the immediate area. They were flying very fast. The birds were often vocal as they darted through garden plants in coastal Southern California. It was easier to hear the hummingbirds than to see them as they chased each other on this day.

The photo of the male’s front shows the reddish orange coloration on the throat feathers (gorget). The photo of the male’s side view shows his orange and green coloration on the flank and back.

The Allen’s Hummingbirds feed off of a variety of flowering garden plants in the Newport Coast and Corona del Mar area. The hummingbird plants include Lion’s tail, Cape Honeysuckle, fuschia, fairy duster, pentas, and bottle brush trees.

While we were at this location, the birds were feeding from the flowers quietly. At another location, the feeding Allen’s Hummingbird would sometimes make a “chip!” sound intermittently while hovering and feeding.

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Black-chinned Hummingbird

A male Black-chinned Hummingbird shows his purple throat patch (also known as a “gorget”) while hovering in a patch of desert honeysuckle (Anisacanthus thurberi).

The mature male Black-chinned Hummingbird looks like its head and throat are completely black … until the light hits it just right. Then you can see the flash of iridescent bright purple in the throat area.

Black-chinned Hummingbirds are small, about 3 inches long. The dark head and small size make this hummingbird relatively easy to identify. They pump their tails while hovering and are fast flyers. You can hear the distinctive buzzing hum made by the adult males’ wings as they maneuver around a feeder at high speed or when they fly off abruptly.

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