Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: Calliope Hummingbird

Yesterday, 3 June 2018, I had hoped to drive out of the city for an annual morning walk followed by a delicious BBQ lunch. Unfortunately, I never heard back from the leader about whether any others would be going from Calgary (though I was going to drive there myself). As it turned out, I had a great afternoon within the city, with an afternoon walk in Weaselhead, during which we found a Rufous and a Calliope Hummingbird. These birds are so tiny, that a long lens with great quality is needed in order to get a good shot. This long walk was followed by coffee and chat at Tim Horton's, which is always much enjoyed. Thanks, as always, Janet and Bernie! On my drive home early evening, I made a split second decision to keep driving to Fish Creek Park. I had only been down there twice this year and saw the adult male Great Horned Owl. I had heard that the female was on the nest and later, that there was just one owlet. Yesterday was my first visit to try and find this young one. Looking on the more important side, this meant one less person intruding on their area, of course, though I have to say that these owls are remarkably tolerant of humans. If a Canada Goose, on the other hand, should get anywhere near the nest or young ones, Mom or Dad flies in for an immediate attack. I think it would have taken me some time to find it, as it was so high up in a tree. Friends had already found it and were kind enough to take me to see it, which was much appreciated. They also showed me a very high Starling nest with three youngsters peering out. A tree cavity was also pointed out to me, with Mother Goose looking rather bored, incubating her eggs. "The Calliope Hummingbird is the smallest bird in the United States. It weighs about one-third as much as the smallest North American warblers and about the same as a ping pong ball. This tiny hummingbird is the smallest long-distance migrant in the world. Calliope Hummingbirds travel around 5,000 miles each year in a big oval from the breeding to wintering grounds. They migrate north along the Pacific Coast in the spring, but return to the wintering grounds in Mexico via an inland route along the Rocky Mountains." From AllAboutBirds. www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Calliope_Hummingbird/overview

A couple of mornings ago, on 11 June 2015, I joined a group of friends for a walk in Weaselhead, hoping to see three species of Hummingbird - Calliope, Rufous and Ruby-throated. The Calliope (5 of them) gave us the closest (but still distant) views, while the other two were very distant. It never fails to amaze me that these three species are all found in Weaselhead. This tiny bird (seemingly not much bigger than a large Bumblebee, lol!) would occasionally flash the gorgeous feathers on its neck - the colour in the sunlight was amazing. Very poor photo, but wanted to add it to my Weaselhead album. It is the smallest long-distance avian migrant in the world, spending its winters in Mexico. www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Calliope_Hummingbird/id "This is the smallest breeding bird found in Canada and the United States. An adult calliope hummingbird can measure 7–10 cm (2.8–3.9 in) in length, span 11 cm (4.3 in) across the wings and weigh 2 to 3 g (0.071 to 0.106 oz)." From Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calliope_hummingbird As usual at this time of year, it was good to see the huge number of Cliff Swallows, swarming like a cloud of large insects around the metal bridge over the river. In flight, they catch insects and fly back to their mud nests, that are built under the bridge, to feed their babies. It amazes me how each bird knows which is its own nest - they all look alike. Another bird (a pair) that was good to see was the little Eastern Phoebe, back at the same location where it has been at least the last few years. So difficult to get a decent photo because of the distance - the photo I posted yesterday was the closest shot I had ever been able to get. It was taken when the bird flew to a piece of driftwood in the water. The group divided into two for this walk and the following is the combined list of species seen. As usual, I didn't see all the listed birds, but was happy especially to see the three Hummingbird species. Mallard-2 Great Blue Heron-1 Swainson’s Hawk-2, 1 captured juv. BBMagpie. Merlin-1, captured a Cliff Swallow. Spotted Sandpiper-1 Franklin’s Gull-50 Ruby-throated Hummingbird-2 Rufous Hummingbird-1 Calliope Hummingbird-5 Northern Flicker-4 Olive-sided Flycatcher-1. Eastern Phoebe-2 Black-billed Magpie-6 American Crow-4 Common Raven-1+ Tree Swallow-12 Cliff Swallow-249 Black-capped Chickadee-3 White-breasted Nuthatch-2 House Wren-6 American Robin-5 Gray Catbird-6 Cedar Waxwing-12 Yellow Warbler-10 Spotted Towhee-1 heard. Clay-colored Sparrow-12 White-throated Sparrow-6 Common Grackle-1 Brown-headed Cowbird-6 House Finch-2 American Goldfinch-2 Red Squirrel-3 Muskrat-1

A really pathetic image, but I'm posting it just for my own record. It was taken in the wild, in Weaselhead, not in someone's garden visiting their feeders. We are just within the limits of the breeding Calliope Hummingbirds' range. This photo was taken on 9 June 2014. Have posted a somewhat better photo in a comment box, to show the colours more clearly. "The smallest bird in North America north of Mexico, the Calliope Hummingbird inhabits mountain areas of the northwestern United States. It is the smallest long-distance avian migrant in the world, spending its winters in Mexico." From AllABoutBirds. www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/calliope_hummingbird/id "An adult calliope hummingbird can measure 7–10 cm (2.8–3.9 in) in length, span 11 cm (4.3 in) across the wings and weigh 2 to 3 g (0.071 to 0.106 oz)." From Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calliope_hummingbird

A very heavily cropped photo of this teeny male Calliope Hummingbird! This was the closest I had ever been to a Hummingbird, so it was a neat experience (down in Weaselhead, far away from anyone's bird feeder). I posted another shot of it ages ago. Look familiar, Phil, LOL?

A very heavily cropped image of this very tiny Calliope Hummingbird, seen down in Weaselhead two days ago. This was the closest I had ever been to a Hummingbird, so I was happy to get a photo in which you could actually see some colour and feathers, instead of just a dark, Hummingbird-shaped silhouette perched on some distant branch, LOL. When you think that a teeny Hummingbird could almost be mistaken for a large Bumblebee : )

Yes, it's SMALL, but it's still the closest I've been able to photograph a Calliope Hummingbird in the wild, LOL. You can just make out a tiny bit of irridescent green on the head, as well as the purple stripes on the neck. These birds are rather like large Bumblebees when flying. Seen on a distant tree in their usual area in Weaselhead. Wouldn't have wanted to be the tiny insect flying below it : )