(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . The Daily Bucket: Rufous Hummingbird Stars in Migration Mystery [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2024-09-11 Checking out the competition near the fuchsia flowers. Rufous Hummingbirds (Selasphorus rufus) migrate southbound in summer from as far north as the 61st Parallel in Alaska to as far south as Mexico, making theirs the longest migration, as measured in body lengths, of any bird. These energetic fliers are, unfortunately, considered Near-Threatened. Their populations have declined 60 percent in just the past 50 years. Forty percent of adults don’t survive from one year to the next. So it feels like a gift when a Rufous stops in our garden in Seattle to fuel up on fuchsia and salvia blossoms for the long journey ahead. The average stay of a female or immature male at our place is three days. In 2022, one camped out for nine days, lingering through the first week of a smoky October, which is quite late. I wrote two Buckets about them, describing their migration route and flying prowess, so I won’t repeat that information now. You may find those Buckets here: The Daily Bucket: Rufous Hummingbirds are Revving Their Tiny Rockets and Riding the Skies Southbound https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2022/9/24/2124987/-The-Daily-Bucket-Rufous-Hummingbirds-are-revving-their-tiny-rockets-and-riding-the-skies-southbound The Daily Bucket, Rufous Redux: Seattle's Late Summer Brings Mr. October https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2022/11/23/2137748/-The-Daily-Bucket-Rufous-Redux-Seattle-s-Late-Summer-Brings-Mr-October * * * This year, a Rufous female or immature male (it can be difficult to tell the difference!) visited our garden on July 13th and 14th, and Rufous prepares to dine on Salvia involucrata blossoms, Aug. 20. This is either a female or an immature. another appeared on July 21st. Later, something unusual happened: An immature Rufous was here on 24 days during the period beginning Aug. 6th and ending Sept. 9th. Here are the dates, beginning in August, on which I saw or heard a Rufous: Aug. 6, 7, 9, 11, 12 Aug. 18, 20, 22, 23, 24, Aug. 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, Sept. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9. Rufous are quick and generally furtive, so I could have missed one on those gap days between Aug. 18th and 24th. However, the period of Aug. 26-Sept. 7 was 13 consecutive days. I wasn’t in the garden much on Sept. 8th, so I may have missed it, and probably did, because I heard one again on Sept. 9th. This certainly wasn’t the same individual on all 24 days, but the dates toward the end of August into September make a compelling case that one bird lingered for 13 to 15 days. Why would a bird stay so long during its migration? Looking at my photos in this diary, I think I found the answer. The Daily Bucket is a nature refuge. We amicably discuss animals, weather, climate, soil, plants, waters and note life’s patterns spinning around us. We invite you to note what you are seeing around you in your own part of the world, and to share your observations in the comments below. Before I get to that, a surprise: On Sept. 5th and 6th, two Rufous Hummingbirds were present, brandishing their swords at each other. Also displeased at having to share nectar with new neighbors were our year-round resident Anna’s Hummingbirds: An immature male Anna’s yells at the Rufous to be gone, but it isn’t intimidated. But if looks could kill ... The Anna’s, above, went on the attack, and the Rufous parried. (Fuzzy photo because the sudden action was too swift for me to get a crisp one.) Afterward, unruffled and unbowed. This was the first time I’d ever seen a Rufous using a feeder in our garden (Aug. 27th). It wasn’t the last. The few orange spots flashing from the gorget advertise that this is an immature male (Sept. 5th). Here’s a sequence of shots I got on Sept. 6th. The skies are hazy from smoke wafting in from distant fires. Looking at the photos, I noticed something odd. And think I’ve figured out an explanation. Let’s take a look: Scratching. Exercising its wings after a long sit. Another stretch, and fanning the tail too. Looking, looking. Do you notice something odd? It’s been there in all these photos. See the white stuff on the bird’s feet? See what looks like dandruff flaking off from its gorget? Notice a connection? I think this bird may be undergoing a partial molt. I’ve read that immatures molt their gorgets first — “a limited preformative molt in young birds” because these feathers are crucial to territorial defense, and that they do it before or in the early part of their migration. (Pyle, 2018). So my best guess is this guy stayed extra long in our garden because he was waiting out his molt time. Smoky skies Sept. 5th through 8th probably didn’t make him want to resume a long-distance flight, either. By Sept. 9th, the skies had cleared, but I heard a Rufous near the fuchsias…. * * * Rufous Hummingbirds face many challenges. They must nest in either second-growth forests or older mature forest; they need to feed on nectar from 4,000 to 5,000 flowers a day; and high numbers of migrants have been observed when wildflowers are abundant following wildfire. Unfortunately, accelerated climate change and increasing fires could significantly reduce their range. This information came from an excellent 26-page update on the risks that Rufous face. It’s available for download, but the link is too large to copy. If you’d like to search for it, here’s the source: Rufous Hummingbird: State of the Science and Conservation, Western Hummingbird Partnership, Boulder, CO. Gillespie CR, Contreras-Martínez S, Bishop CA, Alexander JD. 2020. I’m thinking of all the fires burning on the West Coast now and of all the flowering plants that won’t be available for food and shelter while this tiny bird will fly alone, bound for Mexico. It makes me want to send it Meals on Wheels at points along its journey, or drive it down there myself. And there are many more Rufous Hummingbirds in its situation. Ah, the creatures. * * * Yesterday I heard a Black-headed Grosbeak and Swainson’s Thrush calling. Today is unseasonably cool in Seattle. What’s going on in your birdy world? [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2024/9/11/2268844/-The-Daily-Bucket-Rufous-Hummingbird-Stars-in-Migration-Mystery?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=more_community&pm_medium=web Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/