Thursday, December 28, 2006

Feeder Birds

Photographed this Pine Warbler at our seed feeders today. We've also had a Ruby-crowned Kinglet visiting the feeders. These Texas birds are deeply confused. Back in California I never saw such perverse behavior. The bug eaters ate bugs and the seed eaters ate seeds. Wasn't it foretold that insectivores snacking on sunflower seeds would be a sign of the impending apocalypse?

We still have a Rufous Hummingbird and an Archilochus-type hummingbird coming to our feeders. I posted a request for help in identifying the latter on the Frontiers of Field Identification listserv, and Allen Chartier responded that the the bird in the lower two photos posted on my blog appeared to be a Black-chinned Hummingbird, based on the blunt & curved shape of the tenth primary. I have other photos in which the tenth primary looks straighter and more pointed, so either some of the photos are misleading or I may have to go with a "two bird theory." I'm trying to get more photos of the bird (or birds) to resolve this little mystery.Yesterday while looking around the yard I saw 2-3 Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers, a Blue-headed Vireo, a White-eyed Vireo (regular but uncommon in winter), and a Golden-crowned Kinglet. Modest flocks of Cedar Waxwings, American Robins, Chipping Sparrows, and American Goldfinches are also in the neighborhood.

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