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Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Unusual hummingbird day

Got up early-early to go south banding with Kelly Bryan, the hummer guru. We went to Lajitas first, where we banded 6 hummers (5 Anna's and 1 Rufous), then while Kelly was off cleaning their feeders I saw an adult male Allen's. He wouldn't go into the trap, and he was molting. Unfortunately, Kelly didn't see him. Then a short while later, while banding at our friend, Bonnie Wunderlich's home near Terlingua, I saw another adult male Allen's. This time I was able to get some distant photos looking into bright light, but better than nothing. He also has white molting pinfeathers here and there.



























After we left Bonnie's we went directly to CMO, where Kelly caught another adult male Allen's while I was off filling feeders, but I got to see it in his hand. Number 3 for the day.

When we finished banding there (1 adult male Lucifer was a recapture that we originally banded in August of 2009) we headed back to Alpine, weary and satisfied with the day's results. The Lucifer was Kelly's first February capture of that species. When I got to my Alpine home, lo and behold, I saw another adult male Allen's come to my feeders there shortly before dark. I had seen him occasionally at dusk the past week but  likely being banded, he was real skittish. I had to take my photos through windows. Number 4. How's that for a Four-star February day.


He's also molting and has white pinfeathers on his head and chin. I don't remember any other February where I saw more than one Allen's, if that. And I don't remember a single day where I ever saw more than one, maybe two, adult male Allen's, so it was, all in all, an unusual hummer day.

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