Leon and all,
In response to seeing fewer Rufous Hummers, I'd add that Rufous have declined in the core of their breeding range 2.0-3.4% PER YEAR (at a state/province scale) since 1968. This is about a 63% decline overall. The declines are from analysis of Breeding Bird Survey data. These are significant long term declines!
Another species that has declined about 2% per year since 1967 (59% overall decline) that is starting to get attention from conservation organizations/agencies, and it'll draw some pause for everyone in Colorado, is Broad-tailed Hummingbird. Really! CO supports more broad-tailed hummers than any other state, by a large margin, with about 44% of all breeding birds (also based on Breeding Bird Survey data).
On that note, I had an immature Rufous in my yard in Littleton, JeffCo, this morning. It was the first one I've seen this summer. I've had a couple Calliope's over the last 3 weeks and black-chinned come and go. The adult male Calliope last week didn't stay long, but he was a stunner!
Good birding,
Scott Somershoe
Littleton CO
On Wed, Jul 15, 2020 at 10:04 PM Leon Bright <urraca2@comcast.net> wrote:
--COBirders-
Continuing the hummingbird thread, at our cabin in the Sangre de Cristo range we are now feeding over 40 Broad-tailed hummingbirds. Their number has been recently augmented by fledglings. We have 6 or 7 Calliopes, which is several more than normal, and only 3 Rufous who are not very aggressive. Normally by now we would have at least double that, doing their best to guard the eight feeders against all other hummers.
Leon Bright, Pueblo (sometimes)
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