A mother's devotion

When the mother Black-chinned Hummingbird is bringing food to the nest she'll flush if a person gets within about 15-20 feet away and not return for a minute or two. 

In contrast, today when the temperature reached 100° or more, she wouldn't flush from the nest unless I got within 3 feet of it, and then in a few short seconds she was right back on the nest, shielding the babies from the sun. I can only imagine what she'd risk if a predator was taking one of the babies.

And speaking of contrasts, here's a comparison between two subspecies of White-crowned Sparrows. The one with the plain lores is a Z. gambelii, and the one with the black lores is a Z. leucophrys oriantha. The former winter at the oasis and the latter only show up during migration.

Here are a few, of many, bird photos I snapped yesterday and today.

Bullock's Oriole

Lazuli Bunting

Lesser Goldfinch

Wilson's Warbler

Nashville Warbler

Tomorrow a crew is coming to install the new water feature. It'll really disrupt birders, but I'll be glad to get it over with.