27 replies to this topic

[snick]

Hi everyone.

Basically, I'm looking to answer a question about the range of certain hummingbird species.

The question: Is every hummingbird I see an Anna's?

I have many photos of colorless juvies, all green juvies and green adults with ruby throats. Initially, I thought these could be multiple species, but everything I've read suggests that they are all Anna's, and that, in fact, EVERY bird I see in the entire Bay Area is probably Anna's.

Most recent bird list for my county (Santa Clara...from 2005, though) shows:

Black-chinned: RARE
Costa's: CASUAL
Rufous: CASUAL
Allen's: UNCOMMON from March-June, otherwise RARE or CASUAL

Also wondering: are there any Bay Area posters here who have confirmed some of these other species?

Thanks in advance for any help with this.

[fisherman1313]

I did not start birding until I moved to the Valley but I did have a couple of feeders up when I still lived in east San Jose (not far from King and Story) and I do remember seeing Black-chins in my yard, although most of what I got back then were Anna's. And once when my mom was working at Cassell Elementary she called me and asked if I wanted a hummingbird. A male Black-chin had flown into a classroom and gotten disoriented. The teacher new I had an aviary so she asked my mom if she thought I would want the bird. When I went to pick it up they had it sitting in the bottom half of an empty case from canned soda, surroounded by Dandelions. The teacher new hummers drank nectar but had no clue about what flowers were appropriate. I took the bird home, put it in a bowl lined with tissues and set it under the desk lamp. After a few minutes I offered it some food from the feeder I had brought inside, it drank a little and ZOOM, right out the open patio door and off into the wild blue yonder.

[DHSBirdman]

Hi Snick. I don't know if this will help or make you feel better, but the range maps in the Sibley's bird book and at the Whatbird site seem to be off a little bit for Hummingbird ranges in Southern California, at least in the low desert where I live.

Theoretically, Costa's Hummingbirds, are supposed to be our main hummingbird in terms of being around the most of the time, but Anna's seem to be the dominate one in actual reality, and yet they are theoretically only supposed to be here in the summer, and even then, their summer range supposedly ends just east and north outside of our valley.

And Black Chinned Hummingbirds are supposed to just be migrants here, yet I have at least two or three that are constantly in my yard all summer long. The books do seem to be right about only maybe seeing Allen's and Rufous hummingbirds here for a little bit in migration, but like I said, they sure seem to be off a little bit for Anna's, Costa's, and Black Chinned.

[Doug Herr]

I recall seeing Rufous and Allen's as well as Anna's when I surveyed Golden Gate park. This photo of a Rufous Hummingbird was made in my yard in San Leandro:

[snick]

This is great help (I think). At least I know other species exist around here.

Nice photo, btw!

[jblakelock]

I have seen only seen two Hummers that weren't Anna's up here in the North Bay. What stood out was the green back with the brown sides and tail. Not sure if I've seen just Allen's or possibly Rufous. Didn't get a picture or anything.

[PanamaGal]

Hi Snick,
I was at "The Los Gatos Birdwatcher" store, (formerly "The Wild Bird Store"), on Blossom Hill Road in Los Gatos yesterday - they were having one of
their events/lectures about hummingbirds in the Bay Area.
I couldn't stay, but it really looked interesting, they also have field trips coming up, and also a bird photography contest in August.
You may already know all this?

Also, I went to the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge in Alviso today.
It is supposed to be a "bird watcher's paradise."
It was very neat, and I saw some shore and land birds that I'd never seen before.
Apparently, it's full of birds in the fall and winter - and a lot of rare ones.
I was wondering if you'd ever been there..

[snick]

Hi panamagal,

I've been to the Don Edwards site across the bay in Newark, but not the one in Alviso. Another poster mentioned this one as well. I'll have to check it out! Didn't know about the hummingbird stuff in Los Gatos, either. I've only been birding now for about 2 months...there's so much I don't know!

You had asked earlier for some good birding locations. Here are some of my favorites in the south/east bay:

Hellyer Park
Uvas, Chesbro and Calero reservoirs
Coyote Hills Regional Park
Lake Chabot/Chabot Regional Park
Shoreline (Mtn View)

[jblakelock]

Apparently Alviso is a good place to find Black Skimmers, but I've never made it down there to bird.

[fisherman1313]

Apparently Alviso is a good place to find Black Skimmers, but I've never made it down there to bird.

According to Birding at the Bottom of the Bay (Santa Clara Valley Audubon's birding site guide) Black Skimmers are more common at Shoreline Lake and Charleston Slough in Mt. View, which is where I got my lifer.

[Aveschapines]

I was at "The Los Gatos Birdwatcher" store, (formerly "The Wild Bird Store")

They should have kept the old name!

[PanamaGal]

Hi Snick,
I read that Alviso and other local habitats get their main action in the winter months.
Alviso was unusual to me, quiet, wild and kind of surreal (to me).
Although there weren't thousands of birds there yet, I photographed Willets, Black Necked Stilts, a Ring Billed Gull, American Coot, Great Egrets, and saw a big flock of white pelicans at one of the ponds in the distance.
Also various land birds.
I really enjoyed it, and only saw one part of the whole preserve.
There are other ponds, marshes and sloughs around there with other rare birds according to "Birding at the Bottom of the Bay," which really is an invaluable book as Fisherman said.
Jblake, I didn't see any Black Skimmers.

The Los Gatos Birdwatcher, is a neat store on Blossom Hill.
They have birding supplies, books, videos, guides, feed, houses, etc..., and are very helpful people.
They also have a VERY handy laminated foldout bird guide, that I use all the time for easy, quick reference.
When I find a bird for the first time, I put a star next to it on the guide - (they sell the stars there also).

Thanks for the birding suggestions, I'll go to Calero this week and check it out!

[creeker]

I grew up in the East Bay area. When I started birding, at age seven, all I ever saw were Anna's. Eventually I just gave up and stopped examining every hummer, just figuring it was an Anna's. When I moved to San Diego to go to college, I started birding in different habitats. I find that in the San Diego area, the predominant species is still the Anna's. If I venture a bit to the outskirts of town, in the semi arid scrub or the desert, I find more Costa's in the mix. If I go to the nearby mountains in Summer, I find mostly Allen's, and a few Black-chinned. So if I was back in the Bay area now, I would try different habitats. I still see about 100 times more Anna's than the rest combined.

[snick]

Eventually I just gave up and stopped examining every hummer, just figuring it was an Anna's.

This is basically what I've decided to do, unless I see obvious markings with the naked eye.

So if I was back in the Bay area now, I would try different habitats.

Can you be more specific? You've mentioned 'mountains' in your posts. Do the Santa Cruz 'mountains' qualify, or do you mean something more akin to the Sierras? Thanks!

[jblakelock]

According to Birding at the Bottom of the Bay (Santa Clara Valley Audubon's birding site guide) Black Skimmers are more common at Shoreline Lake and Charleston Slough in Mt. View, which is where I got my lifer.

Another one to add to the list of places to bird. I really appreciate all this inside information and I'll check out the Audubon site. Saw Skimmers back east in Virginia, but never out here.

[spookyjimjams]

Here is how you can view any species in your area to see where people have actually reported them:

Go to www.ebird.org and click "Explore Data" at the top. Then click "Range and Point Maps". Type in the name of the bird and your location. Click on the colored indicators for more info on who and when the bird was sighted. Red indicators are the most recent.

This would be a great tool for you to find lifers in your area.

[creeker]

This is basically what I've decided to do, unless I see obvious markings with the naked eye.



Can you be more specific? You've mentioned 'mountains' in your posts. Do the Santa Cruz 'mountains' qualify, or do you mean something more akin to the Sierras? Thanks!

Of course, if you went as far as the Sierras, you might see some different birds. I think the Santa Cruz Mountains would also be a great place to bird (Allen's shows as fairly common in Summer there.) But I think I see the Allen's in the mountains because that's where I bird. The habitat is right for them. I'm sure there are lowland places where they are abundant too. What I am saying is just try different habitats. And like Spooky said, e-bird is a great resource if you are looking for specific spots for specific birds.

[fisherman1313]

Another quote from Birding at the Bottom of the Bay: "Allen's Hummingbird - arrives in February and is mostly gone by summer; Ed Levin County Park and Alum Rock Park are fairly reliable, although birds are more common towards the coast."

In addition to the huge amount of info on specific birding sites in Santa Clara County this book has a section titled "The Special birds and Where to Look for Them". The book is availabe at the Santa Clara Valley Audubon (SCVA) book store at McClellan Ranch in Cupertino. The suggested donation is $10 but it is free if you join SCVA. After a quick search I found out it is also available at these branches of the SCC Library; Campbell ,Cupertino, Gilroy, Los Altos, Morgan Hill, Saratoga and Woodland.

[horseface]

This thread has taught me that the rufous/allen's hummingbirds I saw in golden gate park in mid-july a couple years ago were actually a really good sighting lol.

[snick]

Thanks for the suggestions, everyone. I did indeed purchase Birding at the Bottom of the Bay when I first started birding a couple months ago.