Under Clear Skies

Juvenile Male Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Looking through NEHummers website (link here) which has loads of useful information about Ruby-throated Hummingbirds it seems that along with the early blooming plants this year a dry June and July might have also equated to an equally advanced season for hummingbirds in Southern New England.

This citizen science website has loads of great bits of information and pictures of hummingbirds to peruse. There are even a few individual birds birders in Connecticut might recognise including the Calliope from Lighthouse Point and the female Rufous from Somers (links to photo’s of out of range birds from 2006 here) as well as tips on identifying  the age and sex of birds (here). On the topic of great hummingbird websites, check out Sheri L Williamson’s blog on hummingbirds (amongst other things). She’s the author of the Peterson Guide to North American Hummingbirds and has loads of great information on the site (here)!

Recently I’ve been trying to work out just how many hummingbirds are visiting my feeders and I think I have at least tracked down a handful of individual young males (the pale tan feather edging to the birds feathers – especially noticeable on their heads – is the quickest way to age young birds whether they are male or female). The females seem a bit harder to individualize but the differences in the males gorget development seem to help work out how many are coming. Thus far my favorite is the one with just the one gorget feather that is peeking out! Here are some of the latest pictures: