Flora x.0 and Others
Flora x.0 and others
Those of you that have been following my newsletter for a while now know that my yard has been visited by a summer resident Broad-tailed Hummingbird named Flora for several years. She nested in my yard for a couple of years but never successfully raised any fledglings. (As always, the images are best enjoyed larger by clicking on each image)
Above - The original Flora from a few years ago enjoying a Wild Bergamot plant in my yard
Last summer a Broad-tailed Hummingbird appeared to have spawned a couple of fledglings who didn’t nest in my yard but frequently visited it. I suspected, only intuitively with no scientific basis, that this was not the original Flora, so I dubbed her Flora 2.0.
Above - Last summer Flora bid a fledgling a bittersweet farewell before it started a life of its own.
This year I have been graced with the almost non-stop presence of an adult female Broad-tailed Hummingbird and her two fledglings since mid-July. Short of DNA testing, I have no way of knowing if this is Flora 2.0 or Flora “Classic” or someone totally new so this year so I have appended x.0 to her name to cover all possibilities.
Above - This summer, Flora enjoyed the same patch of Wild Bergamot flowers in my yard as in the past.
First off, a short species and gender identification lesson. The predominant hummingbird species here in the Denver area is the Broad-tailed. Like all hummingbirds here they begin arriving back in Colorado around mid-April (I always hang my feeder out on Tax Day to counteract having to file taxes that day). They will start leaving here very shortly – Labor Day is commonly considered the start of hummingbird outmigration. We do occasionally get a Black-Chinned Hummingbird or a Calliope Hummingbird or even a Rufous Hummingbird during the summer, but if you see a hummingbird here you can generally assume it’s a Broad-tailed unless proven otherwise. Common or not, their poses make them a photographer’s paradise if you can catch them as seen below.
Distinguishing genders in adult hummingbirds is a rare easy exercise in the otherwise complicated world of bird identification. In all the species, only the male has a colorful “gorget”, the patch of iridescent, colorful feathers on its throat. That patch screams, “Look at me!” and deservedly so.
Above - Check out the red gorget feathers on this male as it begins to scratch an itch.
Sounds are different, too, as the male will generally make a loud clicking-type noise while females make the traditional hum that we’re familiar with.
Juvenile hummingbirds grow fast and reach full size right about the time they leave the nest. It’s difficult to tell them apart from the adults but often they will sit “plumped up” with their feathers that can be “streakier” than the adults.
Above - A juvenile this summer perches on a branch while sticking its tongue out. They will do that after either eating or preening themselves.
Peak photography season for me was the couple of weeks when the juveniles left the nest but were still nearby sitting on branches calling for Mom to feed them (no dads in the family picture once the birds have mated). They will emit an incessant chirping sound until Mom shows up or they finally give up. Some of my favorite images are the ones of Mom regurgitating insects and nectar deep into the baby’s throat.
Above - Sometimes Mom has had enough as in this moment when her baby kept chirping for more food but Mom chose some “me time” and preened herself. Maybe she wanted to look good for that male with the gorgeous gorget?
Below is a 20-second video I took in slow motion of Mom feeding one of the babies outside of the nest. She feeds it by regurgitating nectar and insects deep into the beak of the baby.
This summer, Flora x.0 appeared to have two successful fledglings, a male and a female. They would hang out together and I occasionally got lucky and got both in a photo.
Above - I am pretty sure this is the two babies Flora had this summer perched on a branch having a brief but deep conversation!
Above - One of the last photos I got of the new siblings this summer as they sit on nearby branches to each other. Note how the male in the upper right is already starting to get a recognizable gorget.
You’ve probably noticed that these are all birds in my yard. That’s true but I recently got very lucky while at a large state park here and found a Black-chinned Hummingbird feeding itself among some sunflowers in the park.
Above - I was photographing some egrets in the water at Chatfield State Park when I noticed a female or juvenile Black-chinned Hummingbird in a sunflower patch patiently waiting for a bee to leave the flower it was wanting to feed on.
Sadly, we are likely only a couple weeks away from bidding farewell for a while. On days when it’s too hot to do anything but sit on the patio, and watch Flora and her kids and some other hummingbirds passing through, they provide me hours of entertainment and simply marvel at these beautiful creatures. I look forward to seeing Flora again next year, no matter what iteration she is.
(Feel free to drop a comment or question to me below)
