Very nice shot, Brian!! Good work!
Virginia
Re: Rufous Hummingbirds
Could be, Cliff. Maybe by June, there’s no more “need” for male Rufous Hummingbirds & they hit the road. Once the Rufous nestlings have fledged & flying, then the females are next to leave. Perhaps, taking a bit of a diff’t route. Have been fascinated by the numbers of juveniles which come through, seemingly just groups of juvies. How do they know where to migrate to??? An inherited, genetic “map”? Kind of like, if a BH Cowbird is raised by a Yellow Warbler, how does it know to be a…cowbird??? 🤔 So many questions/so little time. Plus, I get distracted easily, esp with fly-fishing 😁.
Brian Carrigan
Blackfoot
Re: Rufous Hummingbirds
Again FWIW, the early arrivals I’m used to seeing in early July
are typically males, with females/juveniles arriving later –
probably in Aug when you see them in Blackfoot. Maybe it’s the
males that tend to stick to the mountains? Interesting to
ponder…
Cliff
On 7/4/23 03:09PM, lcarrigan_55 wrote:
Appreciate all the responses to this thread. You hit the nail
squarely on the head, Carl. By the time Rufous start showing at
our place in Aug, may get one or two adult males. Primarily, it’s
juveniles & females. And, suspect they’ve crossed fairly wide
expanses of sagebrush steppe country, before our place. As last
mountains are the Lost Rivers to the north, before reaching
mountains again, along south edge of Blackfoot. The narrowleaf
cottonwood Snake River Bottoms are probably looking somewhat
inviting by that time.Reason, this push is so interesting. Today’s group is an entirely
new bunch from those seen this last weekend. An adult female &
at least 2 bright orange/rufous adult males. One of the males on
Sun was a green-backed. But, definitely, more males than we
usually observe.Brian Carrigan
Blackfoot
-- Cliff and Lisa Weisse Island Park, Idaho cliffandlisa@...
Re: Rufous Hummingbirds
Appreciate all the responses to this thread. You hit the nail squarely on the head, Carl. By the time Rufous start showing at our place in Aug, may get one or two adult males. Primarily, it’s juveniles & females. And, suspect they’ve crossed fairly wide expanses of sagebrush steppe country, before our place. As last mountains are the Lost Rivers to the north, before reaching mountains again, along south edge of Blackfoot. The narrowleaf cottonwood Snake River Bottoms are probably looking somewhat inviting by that time.
Reason, this push is so interesting. Today’s group is an entirely new bunch from those seen this last weekend. An adult female & at least 2 bright orange/rufous adult males. One of the males on Sun was a green-backed. But, definitely, more males than we usually observe.
Brian Carrigan
Blackfoot
Re: Brief Rufous Push
So small a world. Yes, Karen, I do mean Lewis Batts. I wrote to him recently to thank him for inspiring me. Unfortunately, he had passed, but his children got my note. Without his love for the birds of NZ (and birds, in general), I’d never have had the years on the Ice nor such an appreciation for birds. So touching that you were in his last class. It was a tough one!
Re: Brief Rufous Push
Very interesting to read past adventures of all, Kerry, Virginia & Karen, in the biological sciences from Univ days. Texas was a great place for university birding field trips in those days: Big Bend, High Island, Valley, Hill Country. I remember stepping out of the university van at Santa Ana Wildlife Refuge & seeing about a dozen new birds, for me, just at the parking lot, lol! Thread prompted me to go back to my notes: highlight was seeing, in a single oak tree at same time, at Smith Woods, High Island: Blue-winged, Golden-winged, Brewster’s & Lawrence’s Warblers, amongst numerous others. April 21, 1979, day & age when there would be a fall-out of literally 100s of warblers, vireos, orioles, etc upon crossing the Gulf.
Has provided for years of enjoyment, watching feathered friends. Here’s photo of one of the male Rufous from today.
Brian Carrigan
Blackfoot
Re: Brief Rufous Push
Carl Rudeen probably has some leads on who is following the Rufous migration.
I can send you his contact information if you don’t have it.
Bryan L Forsmann
Re: Brief Rufous Push
Kerry Fitzharris – I assume you are talking about Lewis Batts! I must have taken the last course he offered (Spring ’77) and loved it. Many of my fellow students are still birdwatchers, although we weren’t so lucky to go to Antarctica – just Point Pelee.
Karen Brown
Caldwell
Re: Brief Rufous Push
I’m so enjoying this thread and hearing about the backgrounds of my fellow birders. Since retiring, I explain my avid interest in birds/bird photography to my family with this favorite quote: “Once a biologist, always a biologist.” I seem to be unable to stop looking at all the wonderful life around us!
Brian, I have to say that late 70s early 80s was a perfect time (in my humble experience) to be in biological studies, and especially ornithology. Cleveland National Forest east of San Diego was my study area. Interestingly, one of the important things I learned is that rattlesnakes are not as bad as I had been told. They do give you a warning, and they prefer to get the heck out of your way, if you give them that opportunity (unlike other predators!)
Virginia
Boise/Garden City
Re: Brief Rufous Push
Thanks for sharing your adventures! 70s were a great time to be in a university setting, esp if interested in biological sciences. I hope that opportunities to be a field assistant still exist, but given the costs associated with advanced education now, worry it’s not the same as used to be. Has even changed, dramatically, from the past 12-15 yrs when our kids got their degrees.
Also, guess my post was a bit early, as just had 2 adult male Rufous Hummingbirds back at the feeder. Took their time to show up today. So, still passing through.
Brian Carrigan
Blackfoot