Hi Tweets,

I'm forwarding a post from a New Brunswick birder named Ron Arsenault to me
on 3/25. The sighting he refers to was on Friday 3/22. It was at the UBC
Botanical Gardens on the campus of the University of British Columbia on
the western side of Vancouver BC.

Michael Price The only alien planet is Earth.
Vancouver BC Canada
mprice at mindlink.net - J. G. Ballard



(Quote follows)

(snip)
while I saw the Blackchinned on the path between the gatehouse and the
tunnel. It was perched in a cedar tree one tree back from the path and
immediately to the left of a Chimonathus praecox var. Grandifolius plant.

(snip)

I observed the bird perched in a cedar tree and had an unobstructed view
under excellent viewing conditions. I was able to observe the perched
bired
for a full three minutes.

I based my ID on the following:

The bird had a well defined black gorget that ended in a straingt line
across the lower throat area. The breast was white as was the belly, with
dusky green on the flanks. The back was green. The crown was a metallic,
irridescent green. I took the bird to be a male due to the well defined
gorget. Based on the above, and using the National Geographic Guide, I
concluded that the bird was a Black-chinned Hummingbird.

Unlike the male Anna's Hummiingbird, the bird I saw had a grren crown with
no red on the crown. Also, the gorget edge went straight across the lower
throat, with no elongation on the sides.

The above description does not fit either the Rufous, nor the Calliope
Hummingbirds. In addition, I saw a Rufous Hummingbird a short while later
and there was no resemblance between the two birds. There was no rufous at
all on the bird in question.

Being quite out of range, I must admit that at the time of the sighting, I
did not consider the Ruby-throated Humingbird as a possibility. However, I
am familliar with the Ruby-throated and this bird did not "fit' for a
Ruby-throated. While the gorget of a Ruby-throated can appear black, I
have
never seen one on a Ruby-throated that was as solidly black as the one on
this bird.

Based on the above, I concluded that the bird was a Black-chinned
Hummingbird, however I am fully aware that my knowledge of West Coast birds
is very limited. I would appreciate your reaction/conclusion to the above.

(End quote)

I told Ron that the description was, in my personal opinion, pretty
suggestive of Black-chinned Hummingbird, but not quite definitive. I hope
someone can relocate this bird.