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gbotello
Master
Posts: 813
Registered: 14-4-2006
Location: Flagstaff
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Mood: No Mood
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Red Crossbills/Yard 6/27/10
I don't know if anyone else is experiencing the same thing, but except for 3 or 4 days, my yard has been devoid of any birds for about the past 3 or 4
months (except for House Finches, Pine Siskins, and Lesser Goldfinches). All my flowers are blooming and I have had my hummingbird feeders up for
about a month, but I can't seem to get any hummers in my yard. This has been the longest stretch of nothing remotely interesting that I have ever
had.
That said, I had a small group of Red Crossbills visit my feeders today.
Gary
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Ken
Guru
Posts: 219
Registered: 19-9-2005
Location: University Heights, Flagstaff
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Mood: I'd rather be birding
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I've had a few broad-tails visiting the feeders, however there are lots of red penstemons and paintbrush blooming around town which is probably where
most of the hummingbirds are hanging out right now. My yard is getting just the regulars too, nothing unusual. Recently though I observed unusual
behavior of the nesting pair of bluebirds chowing down at the suet feeder, haven't seen that before. They are using the nest box in my backyard so I
imagine the behavior is related...
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Canyonbirder
Guru
Posts: 311
Registered: 25-12-2004
Location: Desert View, on the South Rim of Grand Canyon
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Gary, my hummingbird numbers up here on the south rim are way lower than last year when I was going through 2 qts of sugar water a day. However, this
is a very good year for flowers up here, so I'm hoping they are just dispersed at natural food sources.
Keep your eyes out, the first Rufous Hummer should show up any day now.
Brian
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jawilder
Guru
Posts: 271
Registered: 9-8-2008
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I spent early June wondering if I'd forgotten how to mix sugar water. I was lucky to have a single visit a day for several weeks. Hummingbird
activity has picked up a bit in the last week or so. I now have 2-3 broad-tailed males visiting per hour. Back when I could walk to Elden Spring, I
was impressed at the number of flowers and hummingbirds I was seeing just off the Pipeline Trail, so I was guessing that the birds weren't coming into
feeders as frequently this year (consistent with Brian's observation).
I had my first rufous on June 29 last year.
Jason
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gbotello
Master
Posts: 813
Registered: 14-4-2006
Location: Flagstaff
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Well, I am glad to see that I am not the only one.
Ken, I have observed Western Bluebirds eating my suet in the past, but mainly in the winter and early spring.
It always seems strange to see it, though.
Gary
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Ken
Guru
Posts: 219
Registered: 19-9-2005
Location: University Heights, Flagstaff
Member Is Offline
Mood: I'd rather be birding
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Cool pic!
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Mark Stevenson
Sage
Posts: 552
Registered: 22-10-2002
Location: Tucson, AZ
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Is anyone seeing birds at their feeders that my be "refugees" from the Schultz Fire? Surely some hummers have lost their food sources and the same for
other species?
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Canyonbirder
Guru
Posts: 311
Registered: 25-12-2004
Location: Desert View, on the South Rim of Grand Canyon
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Mark,
I'm hoping that the Schultz fire will produce Grand Canyon's first Olive Warbler, but no luck yet.
Brian
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elaine
Skilled
Posts: 186
Registered: 22-10-2002
Location: Flagstaff, AZ
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hummingbirds
My nectar feeders have been devoid of hummingbirds for the entire month of June, although a few were around at the end of May. 2 Bullock's Orioles &
some House Finches have been drinking the nectar, along with an occasional Hairy Woodpecker or Pygmy Nuthatch. My neighbor has not had hummingbirds
either. Otherwise I hear White-breasted nuthatches & maybe goldfinch a few times.
Elaine
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Phyllis Kegley
Experienced
Posts: 98
Registered: 22-10-2002
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I haven't had hummers consistently either. I've had this happen before and when the rufous returned, had more broad-tailed coming. Maybe that's a
territorial thing.
The red-hot pokers are attracting Bullock' orioles, lesser goldfinches and house finches. Although they are not native, they provide nectar and seeds.
Also, I have had mountain chicadees, white-breasted nuthatches, black-headed grosbeaks, band-tailed pigeons and Eurasian collared-doves. Occasionally
an ash-throated flycatcher visits.
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Roger
Sage
Posts: 729
Registered: 20-10-2002
Location: Cornville, AZ
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I wonder if the late snowstorm and protracted cool spring had an impact on productivity? I have been doing surveys around the 6500' level, west of
Flag, and despite an abundance of flowers, hummers are virtually absent.
Down in the Verde, other Hummer species seem as numerous as typical or somewhat more so.
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erh36
Sage
Posts: 686
Registered: 6-12-2005
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Has anyone else noticed lower numbers or very late FOS Hepatic Tanagers this year? Last week while I had a few days off I was over in Heber and we had
our FOS (for the yard) Hepatic (I think my first of the year!). No one detected this species during the May 8th Navajo County NAMC. Some years we've
had them in Heber by late April, but usually by the first or second week in May. It's bizarre to have our first not until late June! I'll have to look
back in our records to see if there have been any other late occurrences.
Hummingbird numbers seemed average over in Heber. I'll post the other sightings from when I was over there in the next day or so (need sleep
now...).
Good birding,
Eric
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Akitaslvr
Skilled
Posts: 182
Registered: 2-5-2008
Location: Pioneer Valley/Flagstaff
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I can't believe people are hurting for birds. I think they're all at my house... eating me out of house and home! This morning I bet I had over 100
Pinyon Jays, and also had a few Stellars Jays and Scrub Jays. Lots of Bullock's Orioles, Robins, nesting bluebirds, at least five Lewis Woodpeckers on
one feeder at once ( a huge number of Lewis this year), Northern Flickers, Acorn Woodpeckers, house finches, goldfinches, house sparrows, brown headed
cowbirds, starlings, eurasian collared doves, mourning doves, a kestrel, and a meadowlark. I had a Cooper's Hawk hanging out in the yard yesterday. If
I don't cover my feeders when I leave the band-tailed pigeons are terrible right now, and about 40 of them come in and clean out my feeders. I have
many black-chinned and broad-tailed hummingbirds too. My whole front yard is in bloom with penstemon and colorado four o'clocks so the morning and
evening is really buzzing with hummingbirds. I have to agree they seem less then usual but come july there's usually a big jump in numbers.
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Dwestern
Reserved
Posts: 18
Registered: 29-6-2010
Location: Rimrock
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i`m seeing very few hummingbirds compared to other years here in Rimrock,don`t know whats up with that
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Zack Zdinak
Guru
Posts: 268
Registered: 16-1-2003
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On the west side of Flag I put up the hummingbird feeder around April 1 but didn't see the first broadtail until the 19th! Usually they're here March
26 to April 6, and more common. Most of that month they were sporadic. I've noticed only one pair in my neighborhood. With the profusion of
wildflowers and water in tanks in the forest, maybe birds are more dispersed. At home I have water available but don't put out seed all summer.
Regular local nesting and yard foraging species seem to be OK - robins, steller's jays, crow, house finch, cordilleran flycatchers, bullock's orioles,
lewis' woodpeckers, black headed grosbeaks - except for one jay I saw in a cat's mouth this week.
I garden a lot and have seen incredibly few grasshoppers, earwigs and sowbugs this year! I've not even seen any hawkmoths at my flowers at night. But
I've got a good crop of beetle grubs in the garden so the large june bugs should make a good showing after the rains start.
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gbotello
Master
Posts: 813
Registered: 14-4-2006
Location: Flagstaff
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By the way, still no hummers in my yard as of 7/2/10.
Gary
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Mark Stevenson
Sage
Posts: 552
Registered: 22-10-2002
Location: Tucson, AZ
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A few (2) Rufous Hummers have arrived in SE AZ.
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gbotello
Master
Posts: 813
Registered: 14-4-2006
Location: Flagstaff
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Maybe that's something to look forward to.
I also talked to my friend that lives in East Flagstaff and he says no hummers in his yard. He said that he was in Greer last week and that while
there were hummingbird feeders set up everywhere, he saw all of 2.
By the way, I have seen very few butterflies this year, as well.
Strange...
Gary
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gbotello
Master
Posts: 813
Registered: 14-4-2006
Location: Flagstaff
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I've had 1 male Broatailed Hummingbird hanging around my yard, for a few seocnds at a time, the past couple of days (7/10/10).
Maybe there is light at the end of the tunnel...
Gary
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Phyllis Kegley
Experienced
Posts: 98
Registered: 22-10-2002
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Still few hummers here. The first rufous appeared around the 4th but didn't stay. Sometimes a broad-tailed male comes to eat at the end of the day. I
did see one female broad-tailed several days ago.
Band-tailed pigeons are regulars. Several mornings ago I was awaking by at least 14 all trying to get on the feeder together, a hoot. Bullock's
orioles are around everyday. Robins are singing but not the usual black-headed grosbeak. I've had them every year as regulars but not this year.
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