Thanks.
Joe Roller
Sent from my iPhone
Sent from my iPhone
On Nov 6, 2014, at 17:11, Steve Bouricius bouricii@earthlink.net [wsbn] <wsbn-noreply@yahoogroups.com> wrote:
[Attachment(s) from Steve Bouricius included below]Hi Folks,
This morning I captured and banded a Costa's Hummingbird in the Redlands area of Grand Junction. The bird has been using a feeder and flowers in a small private court yard. When I first saw the bird the initial impression was that it looked and behaved like a female Black-chinned, partly because it pumped it's tail continuously while hovering, as Black-chinned typically do. Good thing I didn't dismiss it so readily. Ten minutes after setting up the trap I gently closed the door and could immediately tell it was a Costa's by it's distinctive chip notes. Measurements, examination of plumage characteristics, and the smooth bill confirmed the ID as an adult female Costa's Hummingbird. She is in good shape weighing a normal 3.2 grams and is carrying a moderate amount of fat which suggests she may yet migrate or wander farther.
It is the third adult female Costa's Hummingbird we've banded in the Grand Junction area, and maybe the sixth Colorado record of the species. The other two Costa's were banded on November 19, 2011, and December 4, 2003. Also on December 4, 2003, we banded a female Anna's, and a female Broad-billed in November, 2002. Of note, the hummingbird reported in Montrose two weeks ago was actually an Anna's, based on the photos sent to me. The timing of these post breeding wanderers from the southwest/Mexico suggest that ANY hummingbird in Colorado after mid-October is a rare event worth documenting, and banding the bird with an in hand examination is the best way to do that.
More than a hundred of our colleagues, hummingbird banders/researchers from all across North America are engaged in a collective effort to document of out of range hummingbirds. For example, this past Monday, November 3, Allen Chartier banded a first state record Costa's Hummingbird in Onekama, Michigan. And, in December 2012, Fred Dietrich banded a first Florida record Costa's in Tallahassee. As out of range and out of season rarities, these banded birds are far more likely to be re encountered, and each instance adds to the pool of knowledge. We all rely on contacts through fellow birders. My sincere thanks goes to the gracious host for permission to band the bird, and to Larry Collins of Wild Birds Unlimited for helping to make the connection. Larry Collins is a hero in my book as he also made the connections to the hosts of the 2011 Costa's and the 2003 Anna's Hummingbirds.
Best regards,
Steve
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Steve & Debbie Bouricius
3412 C Road
Palisade, CO 81526
970-434-5918 or mobile 970-250-6161
Hummingbird Orchards Banding and Research Station
Peaceful Valley Field Station
NABC Certified Master Banders-Trainers
USGS Bird Banding Laboratory permit #23198
CPW Scientific Collections permit #14BD834
AZGFD Scientific Collections permit#SP562523CLS
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