You’re definitely on the Hummingbird Highway, Bill! Along the Snake, I don’t have near the hummer numbers. Birds taking about 6 oz total nectar/day with adult male & female Rufous coming in & Black-chinneds, again adult males & females & a few juveniles.
But, making up for it with the Black-headed Grosbeaks! Going through ~4 lb of black oil sunflower seeds daily with as many as 10 at the platform feeder & 6-8 waiting in the trees. Males, females & juveniles. Seems to be a bumper crop of young, this season.
Interesting report to read. I’m impressed with 300 hummers! Sandhill Cranes are special to me, so i’m glad the colt has grown tp accompany the parents in flight.
I’ve got three four cup hummer feeders up and we’re going through about 1.5 per day lately, about 45 cups sugar total consumed. By energy balance that’s about 300 hummers feeding here. You’re welcome birds. I’ve seen a few rufous and pretty sure I have all four local species. Lots of females and juvies which are work to ID I don’t do. Mostly BH and not many calliope.
There are many BH Grosbeaks at sunflower feeder. I think they are on second brood as I saw a smaller one begging this morning.
Local Sandhills did a good job hiding their colt, which is now fledged and flying with it’s larger adults.
Just got my first male Rufous Hummingbird of the season hitting the nectar feeder, this past hour. I’m thinking the heat, dry conditions & wildfires in the hills are starting to push some into the river valleys.
Also, have at minimum 10 adult male & 6 female Black-headed Grosbeaks hitting the seeds at any one time. Juveniles should start showing soon. An adult male Lazuli Bunting appears sev times a day, as well.
I don’t keep detailed records. But, notice trends. Only other time I’ve noted Rufous at our river location, this time of year, was during the Yellowstone Fires of ’88. Mid-July is when we tend to start observing the fall migration of Rufous at the feeder.
Will see what next few days brings, as a single bird could just be an “explorer”, so to speak. But, might indicate flowers are dried up at higher elevation. Buddy was up in mtns out of Challis recently & said hillsides are “crispy” dry.
Just had my first female Rufous Hummingbird of season hit the feeder. That’s about 2 wks earlier than usual, at my river location. They’re the first of the hummingbirds in our area to start their southward migration. But, wonder if this one represents more of dryness in the mountain forest regions & moving to a bit more lush vegetation in the river valleys? Will see how many more appear in next week or so.
Also had a male Black-chinned doing its big, U-shaped loop displays right in front of me, about a dozen times. Believe the female is nesting in a blue spruce, near house.
Just had a phone call from Gary and Linda Ackert who are birding the Hidden Spgs. trail here in Ada Co. They asked me to put this note on ible for them
They are reporting finding an Eastern Warbling Vireo. They heard a vireo and knew that it sounded different from a WWVI They played a EWVI song from Merlin, the bird came within an approx. meter of them. A warbling vireo type was seen and it “looked” to be more yellowish than an expected WWVI. They are trying to get a live recording of the bird. They did not have a camera to get a photo.
The attachment, if it comes thru, shows the approx. location of their sighting.
Don’t get near Bill Moore’s numbers, but between est of individuals visiting feeder at one time & draining of nectar, figure I have about 16 resident Black-chinneds in the area. Know, for sure, have seen 4 individual Black-chinneds this AM. Juveniles should appear in next couple of weeks. And, then our first Fall migration Rufous toward end of July. Calliope &. Broad-tailed mid-Aug & into Sept.
Good numbers of Yellow Warblers, Black-headed Grosbeaks, Bullock’s Orioles, Lazuli Buntings, Red-naped Sapsuckers & House Wrens this year. The Black-headed Grosbeaks have really been putting on a show fly-catching midges in mid-air, this season.
Brian Carrigan
Blackfoot
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