Whatbird.com

 

 I'm useless with hummers but hope you guys can start helping me recognize the ones I see this year.  1st pic was from last year.  2nd pic was just now.  Thanks for your help.

 

1st photo is a female Black-chinned Hummingbird.

2nd is the male Black-chinned.

Nice photos!!

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We did not inherit Mother Earth from our ancestors...... we have borrowed Her from our descendants.
Chief Seattle (paraphrased)

Both Black-Chinned.

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I heard the wind calling my name; see if it calls you.

Thanks

By the way, you don't need to use the "red stuff". The hummer feeder's red color is enough to attract them,

If you boil 4 parts water with one part sugar ( for instance a cup of white sugar with 4 cups of water) for 5 minutes and let it cool, that makes the best ( and cheapest) sugar water.

You can store this in the fridge for about a week. My back yard ruby throat, Ruby T enjoys this all winter here in south Florida.

Hi,

Thanks Mousebird for that reminder that no one needs to use the stuff with the red dye or add red dye to their sugar water solution.  I've heard that it can even be bad for the diet if the hummer to ingest red dye.  I'm awaiting the day that hummers arrive here in Abq, NM.  I also wanted to mention that there are some brands of cold-water soluble sugar that takes the boiling step out of the equation.  I've had great luck with this.  Once again...bring on spring and ditch the red dye in the hummer water!!!!! 

Again thanks for the help with the identification.

dont have any yet, but we will soon... as far as food goes, ..we mix it 2 cups sugar to 2 quarts of water, after they find it, and are coming back (within the week) we cut it back to 1 cup sugar. and we dont  boil it or cook it, just mix it like kool-aid... been doing it for 35 years, and it works great. just restir it before refilling the feeders. nice pictures by the way

 

Those are both Black-chinned Hummingbirds.

Great pictures! 

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~Makachoa~

a question here... what is it that makes these black chinned, and not rubys? the females almost impossible to tell apart, and the lighting on this photo , or the angle of the male to the light doesnt rule  out. a ruby either...just wondering what clues you are using to come up with a black-chinned...thanks

I'm obviously not the expert but looking directly at the hummer as I grabbed for the camera, the head was very black and I didn't see a flash of any other color.  I was surprised that the female looks so different and never would have been able to figure her out without help.

I agree with birdseye, these are very hard to tell apart, especially in bad light. The males, though, when seen in direct light, have black band and then a purple one, while the Ruby-throated has an all red throat. Also, the Ruby-throated holds its tail still while hovering, and the Black-chinned constantly pumps its tail, so this might be a useful clue. More pictures would help, too, though it will still be very hard to identify the female.

Ephiy hit on the best way to be sure ...the tail pumping... here is a photo, does it look like your guy? 

Yes I think that your picture matches the fella I saw.  Hopefully he will be back.  The female in the picture stayed all summer last year.

this will show how difficult in anything but perfect lighting how hard it is to tell them apart... here is the same guys seconds later...wasnt trying to trick you, just show you the problems with telling...