Date: Mon, 14 Oct 2002 16:09:19 -0400 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: "Hilton, Rob" Subject: Black-chinned Hummingbird and other potential fall/winter vagrants MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="ISO-8859-2" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Plucked from the Virginia listserv with Mr. Brinkley's blessing. / Rob = Hilton, rhilton@csa.com, Bethesda, Md. +++++++++++++++++++++ Subject: Black-chinned Hummingbird and other potential fall/winter = vagrants From: Phoebetria@aol.com Date: Mon, 14 Oct 2002 11:46:52 EDT *Now* is the time to begin scrutinizing every Archilochus hummingbird at = your feeders very carefully for the similar Black-chinned Hummingbird. =20 Highly recommended are both the new Peterson series guide to = hummingbirds and the also new Steve N. G. Howell guide to hummingbird = identification, both available through Amazon, ABA, and likely your = local booksellers. Black-chinned has been documented in the state on = three occasions, two in October (Portsmouth), one in Virginia Beach = (winter), and photographed on the latter occasions (see photograph in = the Spring issue of North American Birds, in your mailboxes shortly). = Black-chinned in comparison to Ruby-throated, has 1) rather broad, club-shaped, recurved tips to the outermost primaries = -- this is the best mark and fairly easy to discern if you have a close = perched bird at your feeder (feeders WITH perches are recommended!); the = wingtips of a perched Ruby-throated look narrow and tapered by = comparison;=20 2) a longer bill than Ruby-throated (VERY long-looking in some = Black-chinneds); and 3) more ashen plumage overall -- less green above and often much less = contrastingly pale below, so that the bird can look quite dingy compared = to Ruby-throated. =20 Other characters (shape of individual tail feathers) might be caught on = film, but they're hard to see in the field. It's always good to try to = get great photographs of your visitors, just in case they don't hang = around to be documented by others. =20 If your Archilochus hummingbird from now through winter seems to be = pumping, wagging, or moving its tail constantly while feeding (and even = spreading the=20 tail), that can indicate a good candidate for a Black-chinned as well. =20 If we keep our collective eyes open, we will possibly soon learn that = Black-chinned is an annual visitor to our state, as Rufous now clearly = is! =20 And don't forget that other hummingbirds have been recorded on the East = Coast, most not yet to Virginia, but we should look out for: Green Violet-ear (one VA sight record, Buckingham Co.) Green-breasted Mango (north to North Carolina) Broad-billed Hummingbird (southeastern USA records) Blue-throated Hummingbird (South Carolina record) Anna's Hummingbird (records as near as North Carolina and New York) Calliope Hummingbird (one VA record at Suffolk, extensively videotaped) Broad-tailed Hummingbird (multiple North Carolina records) Allen's Hummingbird (one VA record near Bristol) In addition, out-of-range Buff-bellied, Magnificent, and Costas = Hummingbirds are starting to put in appearances east of normal, so it's = good to keep an open mind! Ned Brinkley Cape Charles, VA=20 =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D =========================================================================