[texbirds] Re: Blucher Park, Corpus
- From: Fred Collins <fcndc@xxxxxxxx>
- To: "spcgraham.floyd@xxxxxxxxx" <spcgraham.floyd@xxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 26 Aug 2013 07:44:29 -0500
It is my understanding that the green-backed Rufous form has never been
documented in Texas. If memory serves me it has not been documented outside
California where in a small area it may represent 5 percent of a local
population.
Therefore suggesting green backed adult Selasphorus are not Allen's is
suggesting a rare or accidental occurrence instead of a regular occurring
species.
Would you have us start reporting all immature Purple Martins as Martin species
because Grey-breasted HAS been recorded in Texas but in a roost of 100000 I did
not conclusively ID all immatures as Purple.
Until a green-backed Rufous is found in Texas or other SE states I do not think
they should be seriously considered.
Immature birds are a completely different matter.
Fred Collins
Waller
Fred
Sent from my iPhone
On Aug 26, 2013, at 7:16 AM, Graham Floyd <spcgraham.floyd@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> I want to thank Matt Heindel for his reply. A lot of information packed in
> there that I probably wouldn't have gotten had my post not been so terribly
> vague.
> The bird in question was a male, and it's back was green, with the back of
> its tail rufous creeping slightly up into the lower-back. Like in the
> Sibley illustration of male Allen's & the green-backed Rufous male.
>
> Questions I have that may not have answers (yet), are:
>
> -Do these 5% of green-backed Rufous males occur in a particular geographic
> area, or are they equally likely to occur anywhere? I think I saw a video
> pointing out they follow the same migration routes year after year, so even
> in migration do they occur on certain routes and not others?
>
> -While several Allen's and numerous Rufous were being banded last winter at
> a private-Houston residence (the Williams perhaps?), there was some comment
> regarding the molt phase of Allen's and Rufous Hummingbirds allowing
> easy visual (vs in-hand) separation at that particular time-of-year. My
> question thus becomes: Are there seasons when only Allen's have green-backs?
>
> Thanks Matt for sharing your knowledge. This is why texbirds as a forum
> can never be replaced despite the plethora of other sites.
>
> Graham Floyd,
> San Antonio
>
> On Monday, August 26, 2013, Matt Heindel wrote:
>
>> I have read this email a few times and can only assume the choice of
>> English was not the best as the question does not make sense. (How would
>> anyone be able to tell whether your green-backed bird was one or the other
>> based on what is written?)
>>
>> So, I can imagine other questions that perhaps were meant. 1) Has anyone
>> else seen a green-backed Selasphorus at Blucher and if so, what did they
>> think it was? Well, again we'll assume you must be referring to an ad male,
>> as all Allen's and all female Rufous (and im male) have green backs "just
>> like the book." If it was not an ad male, forget about it with this level
>> of detail. We were at Blucher and had heard of a detail-less report, so
>> gave it a little time, but had no Selasphorus at all. I have not heard of
>> other sightings, so for now, question 1 seems to be no.
>>
>> 2) Perhaps you are asking if you had an ad male Rufous/Allen's with an all
>> green back, can you call it an Allen's? Well, you can call it anything you
>> want, but �..There are several issues: first, given the "hot, tired" no
>> picture thing, it is important to be confident that the back is 100% green.
>> Not 90% green, which can look pretty darn green in many views. That is
>> another level of detail missing. But, even if the back was 100% green, you
>> enter another zone. Some people feel that the % of green-backed ad male
>> Rufous is so low that it is safe to call something like this an Allen's. I
>> understand that at some level, as data would seem to suggest we are talking
>> a very small number (<5%). But, it feels funky to me. I could not imagine
>> making up a checklist of stuff I was 95% sure of. What value is in that?
>> The fact Allen's is more numerous in TX than was once thought (based on
>> banding data) can argue for or against the notion of counting 95%+
>> certainty birds. On the one hand, since we know they are a regular part of
>> our avifauna, perhaps making a mistake here or there is not a big deal. I
>> take the other route, however, as even when birders think they are not
>> making mistakes, some are creeping in. Why lower the bar intentionally?
>> And, since Allen's are regular enough, why not wait until one is seen well
>> enough to eliminate the doubt?
>>
>> Matt Heindel
>> Fair Oaks Ranch, TX
>>
>>
>> On Aug 25, 2013, at 3:59 PM, Graham Floyd
>> <spcgraham.floyd@xxxxxxxxx<javascript:_e({}, 'cvml',
>> 'spcgraham.floyd@xxxxxxxxx');>>
>> wrote:
>>
>> Hello texbirders,
>> Last weekend at Blucher Park in Corpus Christi, I had a green-backed
>> Selasphorus hummingbird. It looked just like the Sibley illustration of
>> Allen's Hummingbird. I was too hot and miserable to pull out my camera,
>> but the hummer was actively circling the TNC house visiting each feeder in
>> the heat of the day. Is anyone able to tell whether this green-backed bird
>> was a Rufous or Allen's?
>>
>> Graham Floyd,
>> San Antonio, TX
>>
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