The Rufous Hummingbird (Selasphorus rufus) visits my home every year about this time.
Of course the males come first to establish territory.
According to Macauley Library’s migration map the overwhelming breeding activity for this species occurs north of the state of California.
The thing is, I have females that have been hanging around also. I think their breeding range may be moving South. This is a photo of a female who showed up in August of 2012 with some juveniles.
I guess we will find out as the eBird maps change in the future, but until then, here is another photo of one of the males hanging out here in Northern California.
And a video of him taking a shower in the rain.
Larry Jordan was introduced to birding after moving to northern California where he was overwhelmed by the local wildlife, forcing him to buy his first field guide just to be able to identify all the species visiting his yard. Building birdhouses and putting up feeders brought the avian fauna even closer and he was hooked. Larry wanted to share his passion for birds and conservation and hatched The Birder's Report in September of 2007. His recent focus is on bringing the Western Burrowing Owl back to life in California where he also monitors several bluebird trails. He is a BirdLife Species Champion and contributes to several other conservation efforts, being the webmaster for Wintu Audubon Society and the Director of Strategic Initiatives for the Urban Bird Foundation. He is now co-founder of a movement to create a new revenue stream for our National Wildlife Refuges with a Wildlife Conservation Pass.
Beautiful photos! They spend late spring/early summer here on the Olympic Peninsula, along with our resident Anna’s, and we have to keep refilling the hummingbird feeders during these months. Their migration is so extraordinary, I’ve started to keep track of the first day I see them here. This year it was March 31. And as you noted, first the male arrives. Locals say their arrival coincides with the blooming of the Red-flowering Currant.
Thanks Wendy. This guy used the Dwarf Japanese Black Pine right outside my home office window as a perch to guard his hummingbird feeder, making my office a perfect blind to photograph and video his actions.
Embarrassingly I have been amiss at keeping track of FOS sightings of migratory birds in my yard but I have now decided to correct that issue. Thanks for your insight!
Beautiful photos.
Beautiful photos! Started taking photography of wildlife as a hobby recently.