Saturday, October 4, 2014

Hummers

Anna’s Hummingbird

Today we worked the Grizzly Wildlife Area near Suisun, California. Someone had released a large, domesticated white rabbit into the wildlife area. It was not afraid of humans and was sitting next to the gate, as if waiting for its owner to come pick it up.

We walked slowly down a path and Berry found a pile of tail feathers from a pheasant. She put them in her bag.

A brightly colored, male Anna’s Hummingbird (Calypte anna) perched on the top branch of a bush, about six feet off the ground. Where there is a handsome man, there will be females. We saw the white throated female nearby.

a male Anna’s Hummingbird (Calypte Anna)

René Primevère Lesson, a traveling French ornithologist, named the “Anna’s Hummingbird” after Anna Masséna, the beautiful Duchess of Rivoli in the 1800s.

a female Anna’s Hummingbird (Calypte Anna)

The Black Chinned Hummingbird

Berry remembers that the Black Chinned Hummingbird (Archilochus alexandri) perched on a bush and stared at her for about five minutes. We do not have these species of hummingbird in the Memphis area. And the hummers that we have do not stare at you like this.

Black Chinned Hummingbird (Archilochus Alexandri)

We are now back in San Fransisco. We will bird tomorrow in the giant marsh near here and then fly home on Monday.

Robert and Berry

photos courtesy of wikipedia

2 comments:

  1. Maybe it is a California thing...staring.Y'all have been staring at them for almost 2 weeks now.Great trip.Eat well in San Francisco.Anne

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  2. Amazing trip! Nancy

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