Calliope Hummer ID/photos; other miscellanea

Some other miscellanea from the past two days includes yet 3 more Purple Martins this morning, circling over the Dairy Mart area until it warmed up mid-morning–continuing what is BY FAR a RECORD fall migrant season for this species. My first-of-season Merlin, Dunlins, and JUVENILE Long-billed Dowitchers. There is now a mini-flood of early Lincoln's Sparrows around, including a record-early coastal bird back on 4 Sep in the TRV by E. Copper.

The Calliope Hummingbird continued to appear at the community garden feeder (see previous post) through at least mid-morning. This bird has the potential of being one of the most MIS-identified stakeouts in the history of San Diego birding, given that many birders are likely to be somewhat confused by birds in this plumage. I will post photos I took of the bird in a short while in an eBird list. But also know that when we had it in the AM it would only hover to feed at a portal, often with its tail cocked up, rather than perch at the portals as most of the other hummers are doing. There are 8+ Black-chinneds (a few of which have a light buff wash on the flanks), including the one late adult male, 5+ Anna's, and 3+ Rufous/Allen's. The Calliope is smallish and somewhat butterball shaped, with a noticeably short, square-cut tail, and it has more extensive but paler peachy-buff wash to the underparts (compared to Rufous-Allens), the throat is evenly stippled throughout with dusky little spotting, but it lacks the larger central-lower spot-blob shown by many a female Rufous/Allen's and Anna's, and it has a short white mark that extends from just below the eye upwards and forwards toward (but not quite reaching) the loral area. This single feeder, like almost all hummer feeders, gets its maximum visitation early and especially late in the day. And remember, taking pictures of hummers is fine, but NOT of the owner (Lisa) and the RV. There is just one previous fall record listed for the county in the Atlas, also in Sep in the TRV, back in 1981.

–Paul Lehman, San Diego
Source: SanDiegoRegionBirding Latest Reports