I have an Audubon Bird-of-the-Day calendar and every once in a while there is a spectacular bird that I’d not heard of before. Today it’s the Tufted Coquette! It kind of makes me think of a mini Hoopoe.
Tufted Coquette:
Hoopoe:
Very pretty!
StG
Watched these feisty little guys duke it out in typical hummer bravado at the Asa Wright Nature Center in Trinidad. They are mesmerizing!
Cool! Here on Vancouver Island we have two kinds of Hummers - Anna’s and Rufous. The migration south has started and Rufous Hummingbirds do not winter over here so It’s only the Anna’s left. Most of them migrate also but I always have one or two who winter over. Right now it’s swarms of cranky Hummers screaming at the top of their squeaky little lungs and fighting over the plentiful food! I keep out feeders year round and, when it’s cold, put out a heating lamp pointed at the feeder so they can eat and warm up at the same time.
Here’s a blurry picture from last year:
But there is one Rufous left. I believe he has a form of Dwarfism and is not strong enough to migrate. I don’t know how he’ll do as this is far north of their wintering grounds in Mexico.
I’ll provide food and warmth but I don’t know if it’s enough for the little guy.
I have that calendar and noticed this fine bird as well.
If anyone can help that bird thru a tough time, it’s you.
Having the heat lamp and a constant food supply is a big help. I fed several hummingbirds through a cold snap that lasted several days. Temps were 10F or less for long enough for the ground to start to freeze.
I remember checking into possibly providing some kind of nesting materials for the little guys. The birds ended up spending the night in bushes just to the side of the feeder. They almost hibernate at night, so they’re more cold resistant than you might think.
That is a spectacular little fellow. Thanks for sharing.
Gorgeous bird.
We have a few hummingbirds still around here in central Ohio. They prefer my patch of mixed Salvias and the Vitex shrub to the hummingbird feeder. One dominant one keeps trying to chase away the other hummingbirds. :smack: