The New Mexico Hummingbird Festival started nine years ago as a small event at Joan Day Martin's house in Sapillo, NM, near Lake Roberts in the Gila Wilderness. For the last two years, it has been held at
The Little Toad Creek Inn & Tavern at Lake Roberts, in the same general area. It is an excellent opportunity to see New Mexico's hummingbirds as they begin their fall migration.
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| Little Toad Creek Inn & Tavern |
The hummingbird festival is an opportunity to see six species of hummingbirds in New Mexico: Rufous Hummingbird, Black-chinned Hummingbirds, Broad-tailed Hummingbirds, Calliope Hummingbirds, Blue-throated Hummingbirds and Magnificent Hummingbirds.
Many of the photos that I took were of Rufous Hummingbirds. I took this series on a foggy morning as I watched the hummingbirds sitting on a barbed wire fence, awaiting their turns at the feeders.
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| Male Rufous Hummingbird |
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| Male and female Rufous Hummingbirds |
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| Adult and juvenile male Rufous Hummingbirds |
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| Male and female Rufous Hummingbirds |
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| Female Rufous Hummingbirds |
A highlight of the festival was watching the hummingbird banding. Here, Raymond VanBuskirk, president of the Central New Mexico Audubon Society carefully bands a female Magnificent Hummingbird.
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| Banding a Female Magnificent Hummingbird |
He records her vital statistics, and gives her a drink of nectar before releasing her.
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| The bird is weighed and measured |
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| A drink of nectar prior to release |
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| Preparing for release |
Here is a video showing the banding process, in this case, of a female Rufous Hummingbird.
We were fortunate to see all six hoped-for species of hummingbirds at the festival: Rufous, Broadtail, Black-chinned, Calliope, Magnificent and Blue-throated Hummingbirds. Below are photos of some of those birds. The only photo I was able to take of a Blue-throated Hummingbird was through the restaurant window. The Blue-throated and Magnificent Hummingbirds are approximately five inches long. They dwarf the smaller species.
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| Female Blue-throated Hummingbird |
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| Calliope Hummingbird on Red Yucca |
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| Male Calliope Hummingbird |
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| Male Black-chinned Hummingbird |
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| Young male Rufous Hummingbird |
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| Female Black-chinned Hummingbird |
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| Male Broad-tailed Hummingbird |
There were constant territorial conflicts at the feeders.
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| Territorial dispute at the feeder |
It was an educational and entertaining weekend. I highly recommend this festival.
What a fun event, the banding is amazing. And I love all the different hummingbirds, they are all beautiful. Great post and wonderful photos, Linda!
ReplyDeleteI'm so happy that you enjoyed the post. It's a very nice little festival. This is the third time I've attended, and I'm already looking forward to next year!
DeleteSome lovely images of what sounds like a wonderful event. I'm hoping to go to Costa Rica early next year, and Humming Birds are something I'm really looking forward to seeing as we don't have them in Australia. That photo of the bird being given drink really emphasises their small size!
ReplyDeleteThank you for your kind comments. You will love seeing the hummingbirds in Costa Rica! We tend to take them for granted here, but I know that we're lucky to have them. The one that's being given a drink is a Magnificent Hummingbird, the largest US species I believe. It's double the size of the Rufous, and much, much larger than the tiny Calliope.
DeleteAqui em Portugal, não existem mas conheço muito bem esses magníficos voadores. Em Angola existem muitas espécies.
ReplyDeleteAbraço
Eles são belos pássaros! Fico feliz que você tenha gostado do blog. Obrigado!
DeleteWonderful action shots! Who doesn't love hummingbirds! They are hard to resist! Your female "black-chinned" photo looks like it might be a female rufous though. Just look at those peachy sides!
ReplyDeleteP.S. I would love to see and photograph a male calliope! You really did get some excellent shots!
DeleteI think you're right. I looked at the bill, which looked long and down-curved to me, but I think it's an artifact of the perspective. That will teach me to look at just one thing rather than the whole bird!
DeleteLinda, I did this before with a vireo I mis-identified here on BiF. Robert Kindly set me straight. I had posted it as a Hutton's when it was really a Cassin's! I was mortified and quickly changed it and I was so glad he pointed it out! I was hoping that you would feel the same way!
DeleteWhat a wonderful opportunity to see a variety of hummers. Wonderful Pics! I really enjoyed the video. Especially the part where you asked "What does grooving mean?" very interesting! Great post!
ReplyDeleteHappy you enjoyed it Debbie! Thank you for your very kind comments! xoxox
DeleteGlorious post, Linda! I think I would be beside myself with glee attending this hummingbird festival. I can't imagine what it would be like to view a variety of hummers, as we only see Ruby-throated Hummingbirds in my area. Fantastic photographs of these flying gems!
ReplyDelete