Frontera Audubon Thicket, 1/12/11

It was a cold blustery morning at Frontera. While much of the country is digging out of snow and going about their business, clouds and 45 degrees are enough to paralyze us in the Valley. The hummers were busy trying to stay warm. This young male Rufous Hummingbird was a nice surprise.



Buff-bellies were trying to guard their feeders from the Archilochus interlopers.



I took some photos of the Archilochus hummers and they all seem to be Black-chinned Hummingbirds. This one even shows a new purple gorget feather.



They all seemed to be pale crowned with short tails and broad, curved wing tips as
Sibley illustrates.



Same bird as above.







A couple of perky Overnbirds were strutting around the feeding station.



Plain Chachalaca 8
Turkey Vulture 10
Rock Pigeon 2
Buff-bellied Hummingbird 4
Black-chinned Hummingbird 4
Ruby-throated/Black-chinned Hummingbird 1
Rufous Hummingbird 1
Green Kingfisher 1
Golden-fronted Woodpecker 5
Eastern Phoebe 2
Great Kiskadee 2
White-eyed Vireo 2
Blue-headed Vireo 2
Black-crested Titmouse 1
Carolina Wren 2
House Wren 2
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 3
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 2
Northern Mockingbird 5
Long-billed Thrasher 2
Orange-crowned Warbler 6
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) 4
Ovenbird 2
Common Yellowthroat 1
Wilson's Warbler 4
Lincoln's Sparrow 1
Northern Cardinal 6