Hummingbird Movement Report 03/20 to 04/02

The number of hummingbird reports has quieted (not unexpectedly)
as people get used to seeing them around. Rufous Hummingbirds
should break the Cascade Crest into eastern Oregon and Washington
soon.

The first CALLIOPE HUMMINGBIRD of the season was a male reported
from Silverton, OR on 4/2 which is right about on time (for Oregon,
not necessarily for Silverton).

Mist-nets were set up at the Neawanna Wetland Preserve in Seaside,
OR to sample the intense movement along the north Oregon Coast.
The banding station is located in mixed Hooker Willow (Salix
hookeriana, Oregon Crabapple (Malus fusca) and Pacific Twinberry
(Lonicera involucrata). Both male and female RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRDS
were feeding constantly in the willows with lots of territorial
display and chasing. Neither twinberry or crab-apple have bloomed,
yet. Nectaring and insect gleaning and hawking were observed on
the willows. There were also multiple displaying males.

Banding results to date
3/20 3/21 3/24 4/01 tot
males 2 2 0 7 11

females 1 0 0 4 5

A molting second-year male ANNA'S HUMMINGBIRD has made several
visits to my feeder over the last few days. When I first saw
it, I (temporarily) mis-identified it as a Black-chinned
Hummingbird. It has a nearly complete gorget edged in white
and a green crown. The tail is still sub-adult, with white tail
tips. A field sketch is available at:
http://columbia-pacific.interrain.org/ahscience/humm/anhu_sk.jpg

At least seven RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRDS have been visiting my feeder
in the evenings most of the week.

For more information on Northwest Hummingbirds:
http://home.pacifier.com/~mpatters/archive/humm/humm.html

and if you'd like to help with the hummingbirds and flowers project:
http://columbia-pacific.interrain.org/ahscience/humm/count.html

--
Mike Patterson Alas, to wear the mantle of Galileo,
Astoria, OR it is not enough to be persecuted
celata at pacifier.com by an unkind establishment,
you must also be right.
---Robert Park
http://www.pacifier.com/~mpatters/bird/bird.html