3 days of some good rains & cooler temps must have triggered birds to head south. Today, have only seen a single juvenile Black-chinned Hummingbird hitting the feeder. And one juvenile Black-headed Grosbeak at the seeds. When the Black-capped Chickadees & House Finches return to the platform feeder, know fall migration is well underway. Had one Yellow Warbler working through cottonwoods & Gray Catbirds must be staging to head south. Very vocal in the willows & brush. Got a good look at one for a minute.
Our hummer flock has mostly moved on. We’re down to one feeder that only got a half batch yesterday, after they finished off second 25# bag of sugar. There’s still action, but muted, surprising number are Rufous. Haven’t heard Sandhills for a while. Guess they moved on to migration staging area somewhere else. Found a nice family of Ruffed Grouse yesterday with many chicks.
Past couple of days have seen mainly juvenile Rufous & Calliope Hummingbirds push through. No Black-chinneds for a few days. As many Hummers hit the petunia baskets as go to the nectar feeder. Today, both are still coming through.
Interestingly, the most common birds today are Gray Catbirds. Pushing through the lilacs & willows. Black-headed Grosbeaks appear to be down to a handful of juveniles going to sunflower seeds.
There is also the possibility that it could be a female or immature Anna’s hummingbird, as they show less dark in the lores, and a less conspicuous postocular spot.
Thanks for your input. I have also come to the conclusion that it was an immature black-chinned as well. We were able to locate one photo similar to mine on the internet and it was labeled as an immature BC.
Ok, one more response. Think your hummingbird may, indeed, be female, as you noted, & a Black-chinned. Couldn’t get a photo, & the eye patch wasn’t as black as on yours. However, this evening I had a definite female BC arrive at the feeder with quite dark, not fully black & not as triangular, patches around both eyes. Perhaps, yours had a melanistic trait causing the increased markings around the eyes.
In any case, it’s been interesting researching possibilities for your bird. Glad you posted. Have enjoyed pondering the possibilities!
Very interesting. If it’s indeed a native hummingbird (& not some non-native escape from somewhere), my best guess is a juvenile Black-chinned Hummingbird. Based on size, coloring description & looks like it has a longer bill. The confusion is, indeed, from the triangular black eye patch. Possibly, it’s a male juvenile & just getting its black feathering around the eyes. I may be way off base, but best I can come up with.
Here in SE ID along the Snake, only hummingbirds I’ve seen since last Fri are all Black-chinneds: adults & juveniles, males & females of both. None quite like yours, however. Thanks for sharing!
We had this female hummingbird visit our fuchsia plant today. I apologize for the horrible photos taken with my cell phone, zoomed in through the window. The bird was large for a hummingbird. No signs of rust anywhere. All green back. Very white under the throat. The bird had a very distinct black eye patch in a triangular shape with white above the eye. Our hummingbirds have headed south a couple of weeks ago with an occasional blackchin straggler so not really sure what kind of hummingbird this is. Thanks for any help in identification.
Linda Lamb
Priest River, ID
Home of Idaho Birding and the Idaho Bird Records Committee
