Gives new meaning to term “bird-brained”, lol! I have to wonder how many of the Spring arrivals: warblers, BH Grosbeaks, etc…have been to the yard & feeder in previous years. And, if this adult male Black-chinned was one of the adults from last year or a juvenile, hatched here, now returning? Fascinating, no matter which.
Put out nectar feeder a week ago. Refreshed & refilled sev times since. Moved to a diff’t spot in yard, to keep wasps away from deck, this yr. And, a Black-chinned male just flew by with gorget catching the sun (first of yr), looking at exact spot where feeder was last year (have read hummingbirds can remember exact location of individual flowering plants, yr to yr). Then, it found the feeder farther out in yard.
Not sure on that one Bob. Bill length could go either way, freshly molted scaps don’t really show much, and the tail looks extensively black but you can’t see enough of it to be sure. There is one feather on the side of the breast that has a round(ish) spot on it but it’s maybe not quite round and it’s closer to the feather tip than I would expect for Short-billed. So I’d call this one a dowitcher unless I heard the call.
If anyone is interested in a White-eyed Vireo, one has been hanging out in Lauren Brockway’s neighborhood. Facebook post from Lauren: If you decide to chase, please park at the end of 3400 at the designated trail parking. You can park there and then walk past the gate into Hidden Lakes, and on the right there is a pond on the south side of the road. The bird is in the Russian olives next to that pond. I have high hopes that he’ll stick around.
