Sunday, January 3, 2010

Of Hummers, Rails, and Flickers

Regarding the female hummer of the previous post:  The score is 3:2 in favor of Anna's over a Costa's.  I am willing to be talked out of it, especially since Mike Patterson has handled many more hummers in person than I ever will, and he thought it a very young (first winter?) female Anna's, where the primary feathers versus tail length thing doesn't really work.   Okay... I did say I WAS confused by the little fluffball.

In another direction, a long drought is over, as yet another nemesis bird is ticked off the list:
I have heard MANY Sora's, but they have always managed to stay completely hidden from my eyes, even at only at 1-2 m distance. But today, I was out collecting samples for class tomorrow near the Lewis and Clark River mouth and got my first ever good look at a SORA rail.

It first flushed it from bank at about 3 m, then nervously strutted all over a floating mat of dead tule sedges. It was completely in the open, I got great looks at it from about 20 m thru the bins. Sweet moment! I was reminded of William Burt's very good read, "Shadowbirds." Unfortunately, I had no camera, so I have to display this lovely jpg:




image borrowed from http://en.wikipedia.org




And from our yard, Evan spotted a YELLOW-SHAFTED FLICKER (with red nape crescent, and no malar) this afternoon.


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