Birds - Anna's Hummingbird
Calypte anna
One day in May 2014, I got to watch a male hummingbird perform his courtship display at least six or eight times. Here's the description from Cornell Lab of Ornithology: "The dive display of the Anna's Hummingbird lasts about 12 seconds, and the male may fly to a height of 40 m (131 feet) during the display. He starts by hovering two to four meters (6-13 feet) in front of the display object [like a female hummingbird], and then climbs in a wavering fashion straight up. He plummets in a near-vertical dive from the top of the climb and ends with an explosive squeak [or chirp] within half a meter of the display object. He then makes a circular arc back to the point where he began. On sunny days the dives are oriented so that the sun is reflected from the iridescent throat and crown directly at the object of the dive."
After he was through (and apparently not lucky in love), he came and sat in a chamise bush very close to where I was standing. So, lots of great photos (below)!
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Observed this behavior again in 2018, this time on the Outback side of the Upper Tilley Trail. He kept coming back to this spot for his hover. I wasn't as good at getting a photo!
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The iridescent pink patch on hummingbird throats and heads is called a gorget--which is the French word for throat. Here, no gorget.
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A little gorget shining pink.
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I heard humming above me, and then this hummingbird landed on a branch near me. I didn't realize that there was a nest until I took a look at the photos at home.
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Hummingbirds weave nests made out of bits of leaves, twigs, and fibers from plants. Then they use spider silk as threads to hold the nest together and attach them to branches.
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