One Last Look at Ruby-throated Hummingbird Migration

Since my last post was about wintering hummingbirds and the presence of a Rufous hummingbird in east Tennessee, I thought I would take the opportunity to show you some of the juvenile images I took of young hummingbirds as they were migrating through on a grey day in late September.

I say young, only because their behavior was not typical of mature birds.  For example, at any one time there might be two to three hummers perched in the holly on various branches, some exhibiting guarding behaviors, others clearly just trying for a turn at the feeder without too much harassment.  As I've watched hummingbirds guard feeders throughout the season, I noticed that mature birds seldom tolerate another hummingbird in their chosen perch area once the intruder is detected.  These little ones seemed oblivious and tentative.  And watching them at close range was delightful.

So this post is a photo essay, paying tribute to hummingbirds and showing some of my favorite images from a morning with a very young appearing group of hummers.  Of course, hummingbirds are beautiful anyway and easy to fall in love with.  The garden and patio have seemed far too quiet without all that wing-buzzing and chirping going on.

Next post, I'll show you how I remedied all that quiet!

Links and resources:

Learn more about how bird banding helps us learn about hummingbirds.  

Visit the Hummingbird Study Group to learn more about hummingbird species.

Contacts for reporting sightings of hummingbirds during winter months in the east: Bob and Martha Sargent, Rubythroat@aol.com or 205-681-2888

Posts about Ruby-throated hummingbirds on this blog.

A Rufous Hummingbird in East Tennessee

I receive emails from our Tennessee bird club's list service so I can see what kind of bird activity is going on around the state.  This is especially fun during migration season and the winter months.  Though, I seldom travel to the places where unusual birds are sighted, it does give me opportunity to get to know the birds that are in my area of the state--in this case a rare for our area Rufous hummingbird.

Photo by:  Katherine Noblet, Johnson City, TN

Rufous hummingbirds do not breed or winter in the east, however, in recent years we are seeing them more frequently.  The Rufous hummingbird pictured above is currently visiting Katherine Noblet's yard in Johnson City, TN in Carter County.  That is about two hours northeast of where I live in Knoxville, in the Tennessee valley near the Smoky Mountains.  But it certainly stirs excitement and anticipation.  This is motivation and a reminder to everyone to leave a feeder out and stay alert for both late Ruby-throats and other migrating hummingbird species that you might otherwise not expect.  

Besides visiting the nectar feeder, Katherine reports that the Rufous visitor is feeding on pineapple sage and skip laurel blooms.    

Links and resources:

Visit this link to learn about how bird banding has helped us find out more about hummingbird migration.  Some migration patterns are changing.

The range map to the left is from Cornell's web page on the Rufous hummingbird.  Visit the link to learn more about this species and its habits.

You may also want to visit the Hummingbird Study Group for more information about this species and other hummingbirds.

Report sightings of hummingbirds in the east after November 1st to Bob and Martha Sargent, Rubythroat@aol.com or 205-681-2888.  In east Tennessee, report sightings to Mark Armstrong, 865-748-2224.

For more of my posts on our eastern breeding Ruby-throated hummingbirds click the link.

The Excitement of Fall

I love fall. I love the crisp air, the changing leaves, the migrating birds passing through. And I love my patio and my bird bath. The patio with the deck overhead provides a sheltered place for me to relax and take everything in, even when its raining. And I never know what I might see. Sunday, for example, the unexpected.

Already seated, I had looked down at something, then up again to find a male bluebird drinking from the birdbath right in front of me.  I caught my breath, feeling so excited to see a bluebird so close again.  My resident bluebirds hatched their second brood in late summer.  When the juveniles fledged, the parents only brought them back to the feeder area a couple of times, then they were gone.  I mean, completely gone.
Without the need to protect their nesting territory for another nesting attempt, they had no reason to stay once the second brood juveniles fledged. This movement to different hunting grounds is an important survival behavior. The longer the bluebird family stayed in the nesting area, the more likely predators would detect the inexperienced fledglings.    

The male flew up to a low branch and perched for a while, partially concealed by the leaves. I picked up my camera thinking he might return for another drink, but instead, his companion, a female, landed on the birdbath and drank.  What a pleasure.  It may seem like such a simple thing, but there are few things more beautiful or peaceful than sharing an intimate moment with a bird as it goes about its ordinary daily activities, seemingly undisturbed by your presence.  (All the Eastern bluebird images you see here are of the female.)  

And bluebirds are so quiet when they approach.  They land with no fuss, no scolding, utter silence.  And just as quietly, the female departed, joined in flight by the male as they flew in the direction of the front yard.  They did not visit the mealworm feeder even though it had mealworms in it.  I added them earlier when I first heard a bluebird singing near the yard.  Maybe this pair was not familiar with mealworm feeders or maybe food is too plentiful this time of year for the feeder to draw their interest.  But that's okay.  The mealworms are not wasted.  Most of the time, the titmice empty the feeder.  Sunday, Carolina wrens also shared in the feast.  It was while watching the Carolina wren at the feeder, that I spotted the hummingbird that also visited that morning.    

A shy visitor, female or juvenile, she came back to the feeders several times but did not linger very long during any one visit. I was glad I happened to see her since she was the first hummingbird I've seen since Oct 9th. There are fewer and fewer hummers coming through now, generally late juveniles and late nesting females.  It's easy to miss them and mistakenly think all the Ruby-throated hummingbirds have departed.  This sighting on the16th of October is actually the latest date I've recorded a hummingbird in my yard in east TN in the fall.  But even after November 1st, it is a good idea to leave at least one feeder out through the winter months.  Other species of hummers have been documented in the east in the winter, and there are even a few records of Ruby-throats. In all, fourteen species have been documented in the eastern United states: Ruby-throated, Black-chinned, Rufous, Allen's, Broad-tailed, Anna's, Costa's, Calliope, Buff-bellied, White-eared, Green Violet-ear, Magnificent, Broad-billed and Green-breasted Mango.  If you see a hummingbird after November 1st, contact Bob and Martha Sargent at Rubythroat@aol.com or 205-681-2888.

I certainly don't need three feeders out this time of year, but I think of them as welcome flags, along with the flowers that are still blooming, advertising an oasis for thirsty, late travelers.  Below, a female Rose-breasted grosbeak that visited my sunflower feeder a week ago.  She is just passing through, on her way to the West Indies, Mexico or South America to spend her winter. Many migrants are passing through our yards this time of year, both seen and unseen.  

Fall is a beautiful, exciting time of year!

Next post: Fall color and more fun around the bird bath.

Links and Resources:

Blog posts on the bluebird family that nested in my yard during the 2010 breeding season.

Visit these links to see juvenile bluebirds enjoying a bath and my experience with feeding mealworms.

Learn more about how bird banding helps us learn about hummingbirds.  

Visit the Hummingbird Study Group to learn more about hummingbird species.

Contacts for reporting sightings of hummingbirds during winter months in the east: Bob and Martha Sargent, Rubythroat@aol.com or 205-681-2888

Posts about Ruby-throated hummingbirds on this blog.

The Big Year--Go See It!

Fun film.

When I went to see this movie, I met up with a group of birders from Knoxville's TN Ornithological Society (KTOS).  Great company!  Having commentary from a nearby experienced birder who knows birds all over the world adds another dimension to the movie.  For example, he identified the Swainson's hawk that is in the wrong place, in the wrong season.  And while viewing the portrayal of coastal bird "fall out", birds pushed inland by a storm, it was great to turn to a neighbor and say, "Really?  Is it really like that?". The firm, no, was reassuring.  I was glad I hadn't been missing something quite that spectacular!

The movie describes a type of birding that is foreign to me personally, but familiar to many, one that focuses on lists and going where ever the bird is to see it and add it to your list of sightings.  In the movie, that list involves a competition among birders to obtain a list of the most species seen in a year's time.  Despite the disclaimer that introduces the movie saying, "based on a true story, except where we've changed the facts", it is fun to see a depiction of this activity, the traveling, the amount of money that gets poured into the economy, the enthusiasm and excitement generated by seeing birds, no matter what the personal goal of the birder.

Most of all, if was fun to watch a movie about birds, showing various ways that birding, especially competitive birding, can challenge human nature.  The story illustrated people from modest means to wealthy, and demonstrated that the activity can lead you where ever you want to take it, depending on the sacrifices you're willing to make to reach your goals.  Especially enjoyable were the tender moments, when birds were viewed with awe and unexpected finds inspired a reverence that came close to the real experience.  This is the one place where I wished for the producers to team up in a bigger way with documentary film producers, so that we could see a little more of the birds themselves.  But this movie is a comedy, designed to inform, entertain, and poke fun.  And in that vein, it's peppered with exaggeration and a taste of the conflicts that are inevitable in any passionate pursuit.    

Who doesn't love birds?  There's everything to love.  This is a movie about loving birds, and about human nature as it unfolds while birders compete for the "big year".  Go see it.  If you're a birder you'll love it, both because its fun and because some aspect of it is about you.  If you aren't a birder, you'll find it curious, and I hope that will lead you to some form of birding.  Birds are full of magic and they're all around you.  Take a closer look!

Visit this link to see the trailer that includes "fall out" and the Swainson's hawk.
More on the movie, the Big Year with trailers.
Roger Ebert Review
Review by John Pushock for North American Birding
Visit the Knoxville Ornithological Society

A Nashville Warbler From Head to Toe

Wood warblers are among the most beautiful and elusive birds to observe.  During fall migration they become even more challenging, with many changing from their brilliant breeding plumage into more subtle neutral shades, making it harder to both see them and to distinguish species.

The Nashville Warbler, shown above and below, is one warbler species that does not dramatically change in the fall, but retains much of its breeding plumage coloration. This warbler is named after Nashville, Tennessee, the location where it was first observed in 1811, by Alexander Wilson, the man who named the species.  Since Nashville is my birth place and where I spent my childhood years, my curiosity has always peaked when hearing reports of both Nashville warblers and Tennessee warblers as they migrate through Tennessee, but until last weekend, I had never seen either.  Last Sunday, I had the pleasure of seeing both these species for the very first time, and up close, at a banding session at Seven Islands Wildlife Refuge.

Birds are truly beautiful from head to toe and this beauty becomes even more amazing while viewing them at close range.  I never fail to marvel at the shimmering iridescence that is often hidden even in plumage that gives the bird an overall neutral appearance.  Since the work of banding is primarily to document a bird's presence, health and other information used to understand the overall health and status of a species population, not much time is available for photographing during a busy banding morning.  But since this Nashville Warbler was our last banded bird for the session and quite alert and spunky, we had opportunity to admire and enjoy him.

His color details include:  a clear and prominent white eye-ring, pale gray plumage on the head that blends into deep olive on the back and wings (no wing bars), a brilliant yellow throat and belly, a hidden "chestnut" crown (male) and the repetition of that beautiful yellow on its foot pads.

When painting an image, an artist strives to create unity with color and contrast, and with the repetition and mixing of colors that unite the finished work.  In nature we find this same unity occurring naturally, as though a Divine Artist has picked up a brush and painted each bird with the most incredible skill and beauty.  Add to this the complex function of each unique characteristic that is found in a bird species, and you have what I consider to be one of the greatest wonders of nature.    

This particular male Nashville warbler had a crown patch the hue of deep red wine hidden beneath his gray feather tips.  The reddish color actually occurs mid-way in the feather, with the tip and base being gray. From my position, light enabled me to see the red color glowing through the gray feather tips, though if you looked down on the head, there was only the appearance of gray.  And who gets to see the beauty of a bird's foot pad, but the birds themselves and those of us lucky enough to be present at a banding table!

Seven Islands Wildlife Refuge is a haven for migrating birds.  Planted in warm season grasses with many seed and fruit producing shrubby areas, fruit and berry trees along edges, and native wildflowers, it provides both abundant food sources for migrating birds and a wintering-over spot for birds that remain in the Tennessee Valley during the winter.  

Right now the refuge is awash with vibrant fall colors in native wildflowers that are both beautiful and produce an abundance of seeds for birds and other wildlife.

Below, you can see seeds emerging from what I believe is a tickseed sunflower, a member of the Aster family.

And below, emerging seeds in the flower heads of White Crownbeard. This was only my glimpse as I was leaving the refuge. I'm looking forward to returning soon for a long leisurely hike and a better look at this year's fall season bounty.

Links and Resources:

Click on the links to see more about bird-banding and Seven Islands Wildlife Refuge.
You may also enjoy visiting the Seven Islands Wildlife Refuge website.
More of my posts on warblers can be found at these links:  Wood Warblers and New River Birding and Nature Festival
Visit Cornell's information pages on the Nashville Warbler and the Tennessee Warbler
Information about the tickseed sunflower

The Beauty of Hummingbird Feathers

As long as these little jewels are around, I feel compelled to step outside and spend time among them, especially knowing that in only a few weeks they will be gone.

Above you see a male ruby-throated hummingbird guarding his nectar source by perching on top of the "flower".  And I had a delightful time capturing the images you see below.

I was standing near the holly, a place where hummers like to settle, either to hide until they can approach the feeder or to wait in order to ambush other hummers arriving.  I discovered by accident one morning, that they ignore me if I'm already there when they arrive.  I'm very visible but quiet, standing with camera ready, so that when I actually do take an image, I'm moving very little.  Busy and intent on feeding or defending their nectar source, hummingbirds land near me.  If they didn't notice me before and are uneasy, they may move to a different twig, but generally they ignore me.

In this position, I am also directly across from a feeder that hangs from a shepherd's hook.  In the images above and below, you see a hummer guarding that feeder by perching on the end of the hook.  In the morning light, even though overcast, I was in the perfect spot to capture these images.  

And I wanted you to see these beautiful feathers.  Rows and rows of gorgeous, emerald feathers that glisten many hues, even in overcast light.  Though the male's flashy ruby throat is dazzling, you have to agree that the ruby-throated hummingbird's emerald feathers are among the most beautiful you've ever seen.  (click on any image to enlarge)

I also had a chance to sketch hummingbirds last weekend.  Attempting this was exceptionally satisfying.  Keep in mind, ruby-throats beat their wings at 40-80 beats per second, and can move at speeds of 30-50 mph.  They were kind enough to hover and perch some while I sketched, but mostly they were on the move, any stillness quickly meeting disruption.  There certainly was no waiting around for a hummer to appear.  It was fascinating to watch them in this way, to turn off symbolic memory and actually search for the details, limiting focus and honing memory to try to catch one solid detail--the line of the back, the distance between neck and wings, the shape of the top of the head, how that beak connects to the face.  Fascinating to feel the adjustments your vision and memory make, realizing you only get a glimpse, less than a second to get it down.

For more about this sketching experience visit:  Sketching Hummingbirds in Flight at Vickie's Sketchbook.  To see more of my hummingbird images on this blog visit:  ruby-throated hummingbirds.  

Hummers Swarming

When I arrived home from my office last evening, around 7:00, my feeders were swarming with hummingbirds.  I use that term both because of the large numbers, and the buzzing of that many wings all at once!  Amazing to experience in all aspects.

Three of the six feeders I had out were empty, so I quickly refilled them, then settled in a chair to watch the activity.  Hummers jockeyed for feeder position and then just as suddenly, settled quietly in groups of seven or more until the next addition came along disturbing the whole group.  A crisp gusting wind arrived along with the dimming light. We had a front coming through and the temperature had already dropped to 57 F, headed for around 52 F later.  And, while this is not terribly cold, it represents a considerable and sudden drop for this time of year in east Tennessee.

There were clearly more hummers converging on the feeders all at once than I had witnessed on any other evening this week.  I managed to catch as many as nine in some of the photos you see here, but there were more above and below the feeders than I could capture in one image.  Multiply that by six feeders, with at least four to six approaching and feeding on each, and you have an idea of the numbers I was seeing.

What a spectacle and a privilege.  Since the light was getting very low, I snapped a few images with the flash, thinking that I was probably accomplishing nothing.  But even though the color of the birds changed from their normal emerald green to gold, the images didn't turn out as bad as I initially thought.  I actually like the way the flash lit up their wings.  So, I'm sharing them with you just to give you a bit more of the experience.

The individual images you see below, were taken earlier in the week in better light conditions. I enjoy trying to capture flight images and will show these to you in another post. I use the images for art reference, useful even when they aren't so clear, but also because I enjoy seeing the magnification through the lens.  Sketching these birds while I watch is my next goal.  I think I'm close.  I've certainly watched them enough!

I've had one male at the feeders for the past few days that has a warning chirp considerably different from the others.  It sounds a bit like the rhythm of a chickadee call, but higher pitched.  In a synchronous moment, I managed to capture an image of him at the same time I heard his voice.  It wasn't until I looked at the image that I realized his lower beak is damaged, bent so that it doesn't completely close.

These are not exactly the details you want to see, but I comfort myself in seeing that he seems healthy and preened, and has done a fair job of establishing his place at the feeder, guarding from the top from time to time.  In fact, I've seen several males guarding from that position this season, maybe because of the heavy migration numbers.  This one was in the middle of all the fray.  I expect he, along with many others, said their goodbyes to this feeding station, and I'll be seeing a fresh group of faces with first light.

The Hummingbird Days of Summer

This has become one of my favorite times of year.  Not necessarily September's weather, but because a wonderful mob of hummers is passing through.

Just about any morning I have the opportunity, you will find me sitting on the patio, coffee in hand, sometimes camera, with hummingbirds all around me as I watch the interactions at the feeders.  And the juvenile antics add a big plus to the pleasure.  Just a day ago, I looked out the window before going out and found one juvenile perched on the top of the feeder he was guarding, and another one perched on the shepherd's hook with the feeder he guarded hanging below him.  And today, I noticed two adult males feeding at the same time on one feeder.  It's fascinating to know that subtle hummer communication made that possible, when otherwise, they would be embattled.

Unlike the northeast, we have needed rain badly in east Tennessee.  So this evening when a storm moved in, I sat out under the shelter of the deck, enjoying its approach. Our temperature had reached 97 F, the humidity making that feel like 100 degrees of suffocating air.  The storm blew in packing 30-40 mph winds with gusts up to 60 mph and within an hour the temps had plummeted to the low 70's.  A welcomed change.  As the wind picked up, I watched as several hummers tried to reach the feeders by flying into a headwind.  It pushed them backward.  This was not easy to watch.  But their quick adjustment was heartening.  After several attempts, they would adjust direction, sometimes moving to a different feeder to get a better angle or a different wind effect.  As soon as the wind slumped, it seemed like hummers were falling out of the sky, and not peacefully either.  They arrived again with full attitude until the gusts picked up again. Amazing creatures!

And my favorite moment of all this week happened when I was just standing in the right place at the right time.  A petite little female landed on the feeder right in front of me.  She was so close I could have reached out and touched her.  I didn't move, just stood there watching her, in awe of her beauty.

A special moment in the hummingbird days of summer.

Links and resources:

For more information about hummingbirds and their migration click this link to my posts on Ruby-throated hummingbirds.  And to see more of my hummingbird art, visit my bird gallery.