Have been watching the nectar feeder quite a bit, last few days. Since Tuesday, have only seen juvenile hummingbirds coming in. Black-chinned, Rufous & Calliope with two big bursts of activity: dawn & about 2 hours before dusk, otherwise, intermittent throughout the day.
Started internet researching hummingbird migration & appears that “instinct” plays a big role in their travels. As the adults vacate the region first & the juveniles are left on their own. So, seems they have an inherited instinctual ability to navigate their travels, without adults guiding. Fascinating. Also, read that found through banding studies, at least 15% of juveniles return to immediate area where hatched each year. Would welcome any thoughts, pro or con, on my findings, esp by those who have been involved with hummingbird banding, etc.
Appears I’m down to only one juv Black-headed Grosbeak. Monday, still had adults around. By Tue afternoon, no more adults. Best bird today has been a Rock Wren bobbing up & down through the underbrush near our picnic area.
Have yet to see an adult hummingbird today. And a juvenile Calliope is definitely ruler of the feeder today! The “Fall feel” is definitely welcome!
Fascinating. That dramatically expands my experience of birdfeeders beyond the birds ‘n squirrels. The squirrels bug my brother-in-law who attempts to live-trap them and haul them off for release down by the river. Do you begrudge the deer and bear sharing your offerings for the birds? It would be a tall order to live-trap the deer and bear that come to visit! I don’t have a birdfeeder but it seems doubtful we could totally micromanage natural systems. NASA engineer Mark Rober started out wanting to find a squirrel-proof bird feeder and ended up becoming a fan of the squirrels as he devised several squirrel obstacle courses that tested their dexterity and curiosity. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFZFjoX2cGg
Our flocks are changing too. I only have one hummer feeder up, having dropped two this week. Consumption dropped quickly early this week. We were mobbed last weekend and going through more than a quart a day between three feeders. Biggest problem is mobbing hornets, need a hard frost.
Haven’t seen a juvie BH Grosbeak for a week. Chickadees BC and Mountain are hitting feeders now after no sightings since late Spring.
Lawn no longer looks dead. N Sandhills for a while.
With temps dropping into 30s last few nights & leaves of aspens, willows & cottonwoods starting to lighten, am getting the hint of a “feel” of Fall. Seems the majority of Black-headed Grosbeaks pulled out in the past few days.
And, the majority of hummingbirds hitting the feeder now are juveniles: Black-chinned, Rufous & Calliope. Haven’t seen an adult in sev days. Those coming in are ravenous, too! Yesterday, when I was pulling the feeder to take into house for cleaning & refilling, was getting buzzed by several juvenile Hummers. They’re draining 6-7 oz in 12 hrs, which indicates a good number of visitors for our location. Definitely, a “change” of seasons is in the air.
For one thing – it looks like a full grown bird rather than a fledgling. The proportions are of a full-grown bird and not an awkward little puffball, and I don’t see any downy feathers remaining, though I do see some pale mottling on the wing (typical of juvenile Semipalmated). I’d expect a fledgling Killdeer to have overall more-contrasting plumage including warmer brown coloration above contrasting with a bold blackish breast band (this bird is pale sandy brown overall, and the breast band color mostly matches the mantle), a more extensively white forehead with a black lining, black in the auriculars, black in the wings and tail, and a pale crescent under the eye. I’m also seeing what looks like a two-toned bill (slightly yellow at the base) unlike the all-black bill of Killdeer at all ages. I suspect that August 29 would be pretty late for Killdeer to still be sporting their single-banded plumage.
