The Hummingbird Thread

[Jim]

Hummingbirds are pretty neat little things. I know they're really common and species rich in the SE part of the state where the ecology is more like Madrean Mexico and less like the rest of the US SW. Up here, around Flagstaff, we seem to have a good showing of the little guys. Still, I've never seen Hummingbirds like I did in August of 2003 at a couple of feeders outside the Visitor Center/ Administrative offices for the Gila Cliff Dwellings in the Gila Wilderness of the Gila NF. Must have been several dozen individuals buzzing around, and quite a few species.

Where are good places to observe these little avian helicopters?

Mount Elden, in Flagstaff, on a warm late summer day is good. I have noticed them in the afternoon on the slopes, over the last 6 summers I have been here. US 180 and FR 222 by the Fort Valley Exp. Forest had quite a few on Sunday. They were around the red/scarlet buglers or the red flowered Goldenbeard penstemon that resembles the bugler. Well, some sort of a Penstemon spp. with a red flower and growing at 7250'.

[PaleoRob]

Alpine used to have quite a few, as did Weinima over in the White Mountains.

[Jim]

If the area that burned is grassy, then there will be a lot of these flowers that attract the hummers. I don't know if they will have adequate nest sites, but the sunny herbaceous areas will be little changed by the wallow.

[Nighthiker]

Blue Ridge Area near Clints Well, numerous hummingbirds and butterflies this past weekend.

[Nan]

Ramsey Canyon, also the Portal area. They're on major migratory routes, including the Rufous migation in October (?)

[paulhubbard]

Oak Creek has tons. It helps if you "cheat" and offer food. There were 6-10 fighting over the feeder at our cabin at West Fork, a lot of different species.
http://hikearizona.com/photo.php?ZIP=202831

[JimmyLyding]

I've seen hummingbirds all over. They're easy to spot if you know what they sound like.

[Jim]

Lots of them over by the Rio de Flag and Hardy burn. Lots of red flowers in the burned area overlooking the rio.

[Trishness]

Hummingbirds are my favorite! Go to Madera Canyon between late May and early September when the hummingbirds local to Mexico (in the winter) migrate north for the cooler temps of the wooded canyons in the Sky Islands, especially the Santa Rita Mountains. I'm a bit of a nerdy birder and have spent hours watching these little frisky fellas. In Madera, I've seen everything from the common Broad Tailed to the more rare Lucifer and Berylline and have logged sightings of 14 different varieties, both male and female. I've not had much luck with photos though because they are so fast~~~usually wind up with 30 pictures of the feeders and one of the hummer (usually a little blurry)

Another area to consider is on the other side of the Santa Rita Mountains in either Sonoita or Patagonia.

Arm yourself with a good bird book to identify them since their markings are usually around the throat, bill, eyes and chest......I like Kaufman Field Guide to Birds of North America and also the Audobon Handbook to Western Birds. They are very attracted to the color red. One morning I was having my coffee on the porch of the cabin we rented in Madera and was wearing a red bathrobe. A beautiful male Magnificent hummingbird buzzed me about a foot from my body (chipping the entire time), flew around my head a few times and decided I was NOT a flower!

[paulhubbard]

Baby Hummers in my sister's back yard! So cool to see them close up when they're so tiny!

[writelots]

Madera Canyon and the Sonoita Creek Preserve in Patagonia...Also seen lots of hummers in Organpipe NM. One of my favorite turon moments was watching 6-7 people in the parking lot of Organpipe, tripods out and set to focus upon one little bush that the hummers loved. I certainly hope those folks got further into the park than the VC (there really aren't many organ pipes at the VC!)