For Latilong 21, I first reported Black-chinned Hummingbird nest building activity on 5/29. This evening, I saw my first juvenile Black-chinned Hummingbird come into the feeder. I looked it up & hummingbirds can go from egg to flying independence in 3-4 wks time. Fast! I believe this one is a male, as it had all the characteristics noted in Sibley’s of a juvenile with about 3 black/dk purple feathers at center base of neck. An adult male & female have been hitting the feeder for a couple of weeks now.

Although, I never saw the nest itself, all the activity centered from spider web gathering to back-&-forth flights by the female Black-chinned to one of our blue spruce trees, until this past weekend, when I watched the female sallying for mid-air insects last Friday. Since then, most flights have occurred to a cottonwood & streamside willows. This progression has been quite fun & rewarding to witness.

Brian Carrigan
Blackfoot/Latilong 21