[TN-Bird] Re: Imm. Boad-tailed Hummingbird
- From: chris.sloan@xxxxxxxxxxx
- To: tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Sun, 04 Dec 2005 01:32:39 +0000
A bit of backstory on this encounter for those interested:
Last winter, I banded an ad. female Rufous at Dan's place. So, we all expected
that his bird this winter was the same bird. When I got there, while observing
it at the feeder for a while during a "rain delay," I quickly noticed that this
bird had an extensive concentration of gorget feathers on only one side of the
gorget. Based on this, I informed Dan and Susan (Schott, who was also in
attendance) that this was an immature male, and thus clearly a different bird
from last year.
I next observed that there was no hint of any orange in the back. Typically,
an immature Rufous by this time of year will have started to moult in some
orange feathers into the upper back. So, that was an interersting point, but I
kept thinking to myself (and pointing out to Susan and Dan) that this bird
looked very large and thus was not likely to be an Allen's (which, at least in
the hand, is noticeably smaller than Rufous in my very limited (n=2)
experience). The thought of a Broad-tail flickered across my mind only once,
but I dismissed it because I thought I had seen an orange-red gorget.
Because of the rain, we almost did not try to trap it, as much for human
concerns as avian ones! However, at the last minute we figured out a way to do
it in relative shelter, so we put the trap up and caught the bird within about
10-15 minutes. Once in hand, I took a look at the gorget and it flashed BRIGHT
PINK, and that's when I knew that the thought that had previously flickered
through my mind was in fact the right answer. I had a hard time banding it
because my hands were shaking!
The one bad part is that, due to camera troubles, I have very little in the way
of photos. Fortunately, the one photo that turned out ok is a good shot of the
gorget showing the pink color. However, I would ask that if anyone manages to
secure good field photos of this bird, please send them to me for documentation
purposes.
Apparently, this has already been a good season for Broad-tails in other
southeastern states, so it would not surprise me if another one turns up this
winter.
What a treat! Nice yard bird, Dan! Dan now becomes only the second yard in TN
or KY (that I know) to have hosted three species of hummingbirds.
Coincidentally, the other one was also in Hamilton County a few years ago, when
a feeder had an imm. male Black-chin, imm. male Ruby-throat, and ad. female
Rufous all SHARING the same feeder.
--
Chris Sloan
chris.sloan@xxxxxxxxxxx
Nashville, TN
-------------- Original message --------------
> Chris Sloan has banded an immature male Broad-tailed Hummingbird on Signal
> Mountain (Chattanooga area) this morning at the home of Dan Williams. This
> would be the 2nd state record for Broad-tailed. Call Dan for directions at
> 423-886-2062.
> John Henderson
> for Kevin Calhoon
> Chattanooga
>
>
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> _____________________________________________________________
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=================NOTES TO SUBSCRIBER=====================
The TN-Bird Net requires you to sign your messages with
first and last name, city (town) and state abbreviation.
You are also required to list the count in which the birds
you report were seen. The actual date of observation should
appear in the first paragraph.
_____________________________________________________________
To post to this mailing list, simply send email to:
tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
_____________________________________________________________
To unsubscribe, send email to:
tn-bird-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
with 'unsubscribe' in the Subject field.
______________________________________________________________
TN-Bird Net is owned by the Tennessee Ornithological Society
Neither the society(TOS) nor its moderator(s)
endorse the views or opinions expressed
by the members of this discussion group.
Moderator: Wallace Coffey, Bristol, TN
wallace@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
_____________________________________________________________
Visit the Tennessee Ornithological Society
web site at http://www.tnbirds.org
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Topographical Maps located at http://topozone.com/find.asp
_____________________________________________________________
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