Excitement! I just spotted my first rufous hummingbird of the year here on the north coast of California. Its distinctive wingbeat sound, kinda metallic, made me look up, and there it was close to my front door. It alighted on the fig tree out front for a moment and flew off. I had just changed the feeders today so fresh nectar is available. Hooray, I love these little colorful hummers. Jim PS... Here is a photo I just took of the new rufous and my old friend (an Anna's) at the front door feeder.

Great shot, Jim....Wonder if it's the same one I saw headin' up to your place....

Karen
Southern California

Jim
That is great news for all of us b/c now we know that our rubies won't be too far behind.

Penny
Niagara Falls, NY
USDA zone 6a/6b
Heat zone 4
Sunset zone 39

nice capture and congrats on having such a handsome visitor.

Steve
Martinsville, In
Heat zone 6
Sunset zone 35

That's exciting news, I am ready for him but I would tell him to take his time, still freezing every night and there is still a few patches of snow around.

The Red Flowering Currant bushes are budding up getting ready for them but not much else will happen till we get some warmer wet weather.




Martin
--
Vancouver Island, zone 8B
Nikon D70/D200 300 f4 af-s, 400 2.8 af-i
www.frogpondphotography.com
www.frogpondphotography.blogspot.com

Aha! It is time to buy a new feeder to replace the one that fell & cracked when the plastic string broke last year. I've been making do with one feeder, but I want to be ready for the arrival of the rufous in the next few weeks!

Today was sunny and 53 F. - first time in months we've gone above 50. My Anna's were feeling kinda frisky while I was out pruning the roses & taking out the big ol' hardy fuchsia that finally died. I think there may be a bit of it still living, but I needed to get the dead wood cleared away. It felt really good to do some yardwork in the fresh air & sunshine.

Patrick
USDA Zone 8b
Heat Zone 3
Sunset Zone 5
SeaTac, WA...one cool place

Nice photo of both, Jim!

A number of rufous flew in today. The territorial battles with the Anna's have begun. Here is a photo from this evening.

http://www.learner.org/jnorth/maps/humm_rufous_spring2009.html

Starting to get some white dots on the map, lots of overwintering birds does make it confusing when the migration is actually starting.




Martin
--
Vancouver Island, zone 8B
Nikon D70/D200 300 f4 af-s, 400 2.8 af-i
www.frogpondphotography.com
www.frogpondphotography.blogspot.com

Thanks for the migration map link, Martin. I added my new sighting to the data. The birds show up here each year just about at this time. It is interesting that they do seem to overwinter in quite a number of spots, but I'm clear that their showing here is migratory based on their showing up at a similar time each year, and then reports from further north within a few weeks. There are quite a number of new birds around today and it even encouraged me to purchase a new feeder to put out today. All the best, Jim

Jim-- the rufous on pic of day almost looks like it has a glass or diamond eye.

Steve
Martinsville, In
Heat zone 6
Sunset zone 35

Very nice shot perched!

Joan Garvey - Metairie, LA Zone 9

Indy Steve, I think that my relative inexperience in photography (and the use of a flash) contributed to the diamond eye look of my perching rufous friend. He was perched on our fig tree, a favorite hummer haunt all through the year. The fig has clear sight to 2 (now 3) feeders, and so it is a great spot for perching and protection of feeding sources. I love the little claws, Joan. Jim (with more rufous' every day)

Yes, I've noticed that too, Steve, not only in that photo but in other photos of hummingbirds that were taken with flash. In humans, the eye shine is red (the old red eye phenomenon), in cats it's green, but in hummingbirds it seems to be white. I wonder if their retinas are white and if that helps them see in low light. It's definitely strange looking, and my sense is that it's coming from a reflection deep inside the eye, not from the surface. I've only seen it where the pupil is, although that can be hard to make out on a brown eyed hummingbird.

By the way, congratulations, Jim, on your first Rufous Hummingbird of the season. I love that rufous coloring!

Yes the steel eye comes from the flash more specifically from an onboard flash or a flash mounted on the camera. The problem is the angle from the lens axis and axis from the flash is too narrow so you see the light reflecting off the back of the eye.

The way to prevent this is to increase the angle. There are a few ways this is done but you will need an external flash. The external flash can be mounted on a bracket or a stand you will then need a flash cord to extend the hot shoe to the stand or bracket.

Another way is if your built in flash supports triggering of external flashes, Nikon Dslr's support this feature, but you will still need an external flash.

Some cameras and flashes can use cords, sync cords is one type and ttl cords is another.

Optical triggers can also be used, these work in manual flash only but with birds manual flash is the best way to go anyways, these can be triggered with your onboard flash.

Radio triggers, these are expensive but are very reliable since they don't need line of sight, PocketWizard is a well know brand.

If you want to learn about flash http://www.strobist.blogspot.com/2006/03/lighting-101.html is a good place to start.






Martin
--
Vancouver Island, zone 8B
Nikon D70/D200 300 f4 af-s, 400 2.8 af-i
www.frogpondphotography.com
www.frogpondphotography.blogspot.com

A warmer wet weather system has moved in for at least the next week and it should be safe for them to move north, the weather still can turn cold even along the coast here and were not that far off freezing temperatures.

Last year when they were also early gathered up along the water waiting for the weather to turn warmer before they would go higher into the mountains.

Here is a animated weather map, I tried to pick one the showed the gulf for the Rubies also but its a Canadian satellite so only part of it is shown but it does look favorable for the Ruby-throated migration and the Rufous.

Select 108 images then play.
http://tinyurl.com/5zan4j




Martin
--
Vancouver Island, zone 8B
Nikon D70/D200 300 f4 af-s, 400 2.8 af-i
www.frogpondphotography.com
www.frogpondphotography.blogspot.com

Great map Martin! thanks for posting it. It does look favorable for our hummers at least to my untrained eye.

Penny
Niagara Falls, NY
USDA zone 6a/6b
Heat zone 4
Sunset zone 39

Neat sighting Jim! A Rufous has been spotted in Astoria Oregon Saturday so it shouldn't be too long before they show up here, February 28th was my first sighting last year.

Ruth
Everett, WA
Zone 8

Ditto!! Great pix!!

Joni
Elwood, IL
Zone 5

Excellent shots Jim - especially that 2nd one ! Thanks for your Rufous migration report , it never seems to get enough press in here . I guess we nee more PNW members.

Zone 6b New Jersey

visit my hummer garden at http://www.picturetrail.com/stephennj

Gorgeous pictures, Jim...love them!!

It's almost time for me to put a feeder out for March Ruby-Throat returnees here in SC! I'm so excited!!!

Diana
Upstate SC
Zone 7b

First touch down in Canada, on Galiano Island, won't be long and they will be in Alaska they don't waste any time, some years there in Alaska before I see them.

The warmer temperatures didn't last long and now were back to freezing at night.

I was wondering, do they foray and move up then back off some if the conditions aren't right yet or is full blast in one direction only?




Martin
--
Vancouver Island, zone 8B
Nikon D70/D200 300 f4 af-s, 400 2.8 af-i
www.frogpondphotography.com
www.frogpondphotography.blogspot.com

Very good question Martin. My guess is that they probably will stay put for a few days or so to conserve energy and bulk up before heading north but I am probably wrong LOL

Penny
Niagara Falls, NY
USDA zone 6a/6b
Heat zone 4
Sunset zone 39

Martin, I'm going to go with my gut feeling that they sense approaching bad weather/temperature changes & if the feeling is strong enough, they may move back a ways or at least into an area that offers some shelter & a food source where they can wait for improved weather. Survival of the species indicates they must have some "street smarts". My Anna's ate like crazy the day before our recent snow storm...I feel certain they were preparing themselves.

Patrick
USDA Zone 8b
Heat Zone 3
Sunset Zone 5
SeaTac, WA...one cool place