Costa's altered routine

 Since I just discovered the Costa's Hummingbird at my son's house a week ago today, it's hard to say it ever had a routine, but today was the first time it was seen visiting a feeder. 

At his usual time and place (northwest corner of the house) for appearing, it was very cold, around 42.° When we had waited in vain for over 15 minutes, I decided to go to the south side of the house and check the feeder there. It was empty so I took it to my house, refilled it, and brought it back and rehung it. Almost immediately the Costa's went to the feeder. I had only hung that feeder there since he was first seen a week ago and other hummers had been using it. Before that there was, and still is, a feeder on the north side of the house in front of a picture window, but no hummers have been seen at it since the Costa's has been around. The sugar solution in it doesn't go down either.

At 10 AM he was still foraging and visiting the feeder. Here are birders watching him at, or near, the feeder on the south side of the house. Maybe because the weather got colder or maybe because he's at a different stage of molting. 

Johnson Ponds was dripping with birds today. Visitors said it was like High Island. I've never been there, but I've heard plenty about it. One photo I took today was of a Townsend's Warbler foraging practically at my feet. Usually they're very reclusive. Makes me think they're desperate for protein.

 

My son isn't satisfied with his Costa's photos from this morning, and we both know he can do better. I hope he has time to try again tomorrow. Here's his first effort.

I wondered how much affiliation Costa's have with pomegranate bushes, so I googled it. I didn't find much, but I thought this might be what our Costa's will look like when he gets back to his own territory and his own pomegranate bush.