And three images of one of the flamboyant males

[ATTACH]66882[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH]66883[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH]66884[/ATTACH]

Isn't he just the most handsome blue hunk?!? :flirt:
:D

The Sneeze
 

madame hazel was in the blind, fighting off a sneeze...unsuccessfully.

Watch the nutmeat on the bunting's bill :D

At the sharp intake of breath preceeding the sneeze...
[ATTACH]66885[/ATTACH]

Ahhhhhh-[I]CHOOOOOOOO![/I]
[ATTACH]66886[/ATTACH]

:laughing:

Sigh...yes, madame hazel has the shutterbug in the worst way! She doesn't even take a break for a sneeze! :laugh: :o

Film Pictures
 

O.K. don't laugh!!!

I tried to take pictures of a White Egret and Blue Heron using old fashion film. I did catch them from about 100 feet away but they look rather blury. :(

Here's the Blue....

[ATTACH]67107[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH]67108[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH]67109[/ATTACH]

Another one of the blue landing. Sorry for the bluriness.

[ATTACH]67110[/ATTACH]

And here's the white....

[ATTACH]67111[/ATTACH]

Haven't seen them around for the past week. Don't know if they've found another spot or not. :shrug: Beautiful birds.

I love blue herons and white egrets!!!! :flirt: You're right--they're so beautiful!!! I so rarely get to see them anymore. Love their fishing style!!! :D

The last time I saw a hummingbird, a storm came in and just before the sky opened, he came to the feeder for a quick drink. :cloud9:

Well tonight another storm front came through and low & behold 2 hummers came quickly to the feeder although one was very different. It was a little dark out but a white ring around his neck predominately stood out. I couldn't see any red as far as it being a Ruby Throated and am wondering what other kinds of hummers are there that have a white ring around their neck? :shrug:

The female and young ruby-throats don't show any red at the throat and the white of the chest and neck can wrap up around the sides toward the nape. The amount of white can vary from individual to individual, with adolescents often appearing a bit whiter than adults. This one, for instance, has a lot of white on its neck.

[ATTACH]67893[/ATTACH]

Could that be the sort of thing you're seeing?

As far as I know, there is no hummingbird likely to be found in eastern north america that has a ringed neck. It's possible, though, that the bird you saw has atypical plumage. Sometimes birds can show unusual white patches where, for some reason, pigment is not produced. Not sure how common that is in hummingbirds, though, since I'm thinking the green color is due to interference structures (the actual structure of the feather scatters light in such a way as to produce the irridescent color), not pigment... :shrug:

I've tried keeping upto date on this thread, but sadly the images are too large :( and lately my dial-up seems worse than usual, if that is at all possible :yell:

How far did you get, Chris? If you can give me page number of the thread and they're my images, I can cut them way down and email them one at a time. :thumbs up

[QUOTE=hazelrunpack;940143]The female and young ruby-throats don't show any red at the throat and the white of the chest and neck can wrap up around the sides toward the nape. The amount of white can vary from individual to individual, with adolescents often appearing a bit whiter than adults. This one, for instance, has a lot of white on its neck.

[ATTACH]67893[/ATTACH]

Could that be the sort of thing you're seeing?

As far as I know, there is no hummingbird likely to be found in eastern north america that has a ringed neck. It's possible, though, that the bird you saw has atypical plumage. Sometimes birds can show unusual white patches where, for some reason, pigment is not produced. Not sure how common that is in hummingbirds, though, since I'm thinking the green color is due to interference structures (the actual structure of the feather scatters light in such a way as to produce the irridescent color), not pigment... :shrug:[/QUOTE]

Your little guy looks like Todd! :D I was able to get a close up glimpse last evening and with the sun setting, I could see his green reflecting with a hint of red and the white plumage.

[B]Chris; [/B]you should converse with Hazel on which pictures your unable to see cause there have been so many beautiful snaps that I'm sure could be shrunk down for viewing. :shrug:

"Neck-ringed hummingbird"
 

At certain angles they really do look like they have ringed necks. After you mentioned it, I came across this picture:

[ATTACH]68191[/ATTACH]

He really does look like he's a got a neck band on, doesn't he? :D Still just an illusion, though--you can see where the ring is cut by green on the nape of the neck :thumbs up

Also notice that the feathers look pretty black on the gorget--the ruby color is an interference color that results from sunlight being scattered off the feather structure. But if the light isn't hitting just so, the feathers look black.

Chris, I haven't had any good pictures lately so haven't posted any, but if I do post some you want to see, just PM me your e-mail and I'll send them to you seperately.

Hazel; the 2nd picture really looks like Todd! :lightbulb:

With that stormy night a few weeks back, the white was very predominent and with the lighting in your picture, it leads me to believe that Todd is a Ruby Throated Hummer too! :thumbs up

We have yet to see two together at the same time so for now, we're just going keep naming the only one, Todd. :D

I think they're migrating now, klm, so keep your eyes peeled--you may be seeing them coming through in small groups! :thumbs up (But they can all still be Todds :laughing: What do you call the fems? :D)

[QUOTE=hazelrunpack;942723] What do you call the fems? :D)[/QUOTE]

Todd! :laughing: :D :laughing:

:laughing:

Alrighty then!! :highfive: hazel is a big fan of simplicity! :thumbs up :D

Today the cyber gods are with me, surprise surprise :eek:....all of the photos came in with no dreaded red x"s :thumbs up

In future if I am having difficulty I will ask Hazel, I find it very frustrating that I can't view them within a reasonable time :frustrated:

Ownedbycats...thankyou for the offer also, I will take you up on it should the occasion arise....I'm not too shy to ask :o

Hazel, here's a little brown bird for you to identify (please?) There's a small flock of four or five that I keep hearing and seeing at the dog park. They have this funny raspy cry, and I'm really curious. I'd like to know what they are.

If you have a bird guide, check out the house wren, ownedbycats. Cute little fellas :flirt: The adults have a big and beautiful song, but the young ones have a less melodious begging call. The adults have a raspy alarm chatter, too.

Yep sure looks like a House Wren with a cocky little tail :lovestruck:

I wouldn't be surprised if Sunshine and I are setting off their alarm call when we go by, the fact that I pull out this strange clicky thing and point it at them likely isn't at all reassuring:laughing: I'll keep trying for better pics, they are very cute birds.

LOL Ya, not clicker trained, eh? :laughing:

You've got better pics of wrens already than I do, ownedbycats--I've got none at all! :D

You wouldn't believe (or maybe you would) how many blurry pictures I got before I got anything even close to identifiable.

lol Yes, I can believe it!!! Those really are pretty good pics of a wren--it's not for lack of trying that hazel doesn't have one yet. :D They're so fond of ducking into thickets...and the autofocus goes for the leaves, not for the wrens. *sigh*

I posted pics of the little House Wren we had nesting last year and now I can't find them :yell:

Here ya go, Chris:
[URL="http://www.pets.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=54124"]http://www.pets.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=54124[/URL]

:D

[QUOTE=hazelrunpack;944081]Here ya go, Chris:
[URL="http://www.pets.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=54124"]http://www.pets.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=54124[/URL]

:D[/QUOTE]

:D Why thankyou Hazel, I could not find the dang thing....:highfive:

Hummingbird video...sorry, Chris :(
 

This is the typical amount of traffic at our feeders during the day during the Ruby-throated hummingbird migration. Traffic picks up at dusk and dawn, but it's too buggy to stand out there with the camera then. :p I took these from the safety of the deck. (hazel is a coward :laughing:)

[URL="http://video.yahoo.com/watch/8103802/21470104"]http://video.yahoo.com/watch/8103802/21470104[/URL]

[URL="http://video.yahoo.com/watch/8103875/21470446"]http://video.yahoo.com/watch/8103875/21470446[/URL]

There ya go, rainbow! :thumbs up

Oh wow! Great videos Hazel! How kewl! :cool:

Tell me, are those flowers, Summer Phlox? How high up is your shepards hook that holds the feeders? You're given me some ideas here Hazel. :rolleyes:

Yep...just regular ol' purple summer phlox...or so I've been led to believe. The shepherd's hook is taller than I am...so probably about 6 feet give or take the few inches that have been sucked into the mud :p

The whole set up is situated under a pine tree.