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May 25, 2010 10:46 AM CST
Moderator
Name: Suzanne/Sue
Sebastopol, CA (Zone 9a)
Sunset Zone 15
Plant Database Moderator Region: California Cottage Gardener Garden Photography Roses Clematis
Daylilies Houseplants Foliage Fan Birds Butterflies Bee Lover
I have a beautiful hummer and his mate visit my garden several times a day, buzzing near me as I putter in the garden. I have a purple iochroma, which is nearly 9 ft. tall, that is a favorite nectar stop for them. I grabbed our other camera with a more powerful lens yesterday and captured a series of shots.

Here is the male, he sat on this branch for several minutes just softly chattering.

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May 25, 2010 10:48 AM CST
Moderator
Name: Suzanne/Sue
Sebastopol, CA (Zone 9a)
Sunset Zone 15
Plant Database Moderator Region: California Cottage Gardener Garden Photography Roses Clematis
Daylilies Houseplants Foliage Fan Birds Butterflies Bee Lover
He tilted his head what I chatted back, showing off his neon fuchsia throat!

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May 25, 2010 10:49 AM CST
Moderator
Name: Suzanne/Sue
Sebastopol, CA (Zone 9a)
Sunset Zone 15
Plant Database Moderator Region: California Cottage Gardener Garden Photography Roses Clematis
Daylilies Houseplants Foliage Fan Birds Butterflies Bee Lover
And then really listened as I spoke to him.

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May 25, 2010 10:50 AM CST
Moderator
Name: Suzanne/Sue
Sebastopol, CA (Zone 9a)
Sunset Zone 15
Plant Database Moderator Region: California Cottage Gardener Garden Photography Roses Clematis
Daylilies Houseplants Foliage Fan Birds Butterflies Bee Lover
And then got busy.

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May 25, 2010 10:50 AM CST
Moderator
Name: Suzanne/Sue
Sebastopol, CA (Zone 9a)
Sunset Zone 15
Plant Database Moderator Region: California Cottage Gardener Garden Photography Roses Clematis
Daylilies Houseplants Foliage Fan Birds Butterflies Bee Lover
**

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May 25, 2010 10:51 AM CST
Moderator
Name: Suzanne/Sue
Sebastopol, CA (Zone 9a)
Sunset Zone 15
Plant Database Moderator Region: California Cottage Gardener Garden Photography Roses Clematis
Daylilies Houseplants Foliage Fan Birds Butterflies Bee Lover
^^

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May 25, 2010 10:52 AM CST
Moderator
Name: Suzanne/Sue
Sebastopol, CA (Zone 9a)
Sunset Zone 15
Plant Database Moderator Region: California Cottage Gardener Garden Photography Roses Clematis
Daylilies Houseplants Foliage Fan Birds Butterflies Bee Lover
I was happy to capture him against the blooms, if it was a green background, he would have blended in.

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May 25, 2010 10:52 AM CST
Moderator
Name: Suzanne/Sue
Sebastopol, CA (Zone 9a)
Sunset Zone 15
Plant Database Moderator Region: California Cottage Gardener Garden Photography Roses Clematis
Daylilies Houseplants Foliage Fan Birds Butterflies Bee Lover
And another rest period.

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May 25, 2010 11:03 AM CST
Name: Toni
Denver Metro (Zone 5a)
Whiskey Tango Foxtrot.
Birds Garden Ideas: Master Level Salvias Garden Procrastinator Irises I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database!
Charter ATP Member Xeriscape Region: Colorado Roses Cat Lover The WITWIT Badge
That looks like a Calliope (sp?) hummer. Smallest of all the hummers, easy to spot because the male's throat is broken lines of red versus a solid red like a ruby throated or broadtailed.

I've heard a hummer twice now in my vicinity in the past week, I have 2 feeders, but nothing spotted yet (then again, I'm not home most of the day, either). Last year, I did have a little girl who would take a sip from my hyssops on a regular basis (the hummer feeder wasn't working like they like it.. or had too many mud wasps on it).

My mom, who's living right now in the southern NM mountains used to put out 7 feeders that would be attached to 2-liter bottles (big coke bottles) and we would have to fill them up twice a day. I figured that there would be between 75-200 hummers at any given point (yes, seventy-five to two-HUNDRED). They would wipe out those bottles within 2 hours of me filling them up (this is when I was a teenager). Each feeder had 8 feeding points and, as I'm tilting the bottle from upside down to right-side-up, I would have hummers landing on my fingers drinking and there would be a line waiting. I'd usually get covered in hummer poo (red liquid) pretty quick. We had Broadtails, ruby throated, calliopes, and rufus. Loved the rufus hummers.. so striking in their hot orange feathers! Never ever saw a violet hummer, much to my dismay. Sad Mom's got video somewhere (using our giant old Curtis Mathus VHS camcorder) of the HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM sound and watching them all flit here, there, & everywhere. Perhaps I can get her to find it so I can get that vid digitized.. that would be so cool.
Roses are one of my passions! Just opened, my Etsy shop (to fund my rose hobby)! http://www.etsy.com/shop/Tweet...
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May 25, 2010 11:21 AM CST
Moderator
Name: Suzanne/Sue
Sebastopol, CA (Zone 9a)
Sunset Zone 15
Plant Database Moderator Region: California Cottage Gardener Garden Photography Roses Clematis
Daylilies Houseplants Foliage Fan Birds Butterflies Bee Lover
That must have been a stunning sight!
My brother is a birder and made a trip to Ecuador, he captured some stunning hummers there! Here's his Picasa album of some hummers, best viewed as a Slideshow to see the details. (you can control speed or set to manual).
http://picasaweb.google.com/da...
My gardening Blog!
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May 25, 2010 1:06 PM CST
Name: Toni
Denver Metro (Zone 5a)
Whiskey Tango Foxtrot.
Birds Garden Ideas: Master Level Salvias Garden Procrastinator Irises I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database!
Charter ATP Member Xeriscape Region: Colorado Roses Cat Lover The WITWIT Badge
WOW. Actually, wow doesn't describe it enough.

AMAZING! How I WISH I could go there!!!
Roses are one of my passions! Just opened, my Etsy shop (to fund my rose hobby)! http://www.etsy.com/shop/Tweet...
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May 25, 2010 2:28 PM CST
Moderator
Name: Zuzu
Northern California (Zone 9a)
Region: Ukraine Charter ATP Member Region: California Cat Lover Roses Clematis
Irises Celebrating Gardening: 2015 Plant Identifier Garden Sages Plant Database Moderator Garden Ideas: Master Level
Absolutely stunning photos, Sue!
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May 25, 2010 6:10 PM CST
Name: Lynn
Oregon City, OR (Zone 8b)
Charter ATP Member Garden Sages I helped plan and beta test the plant database. I helped beta test the Garden Planting Calendar I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Plant Database Moderator
Forum moderator I helped beta test the first seed swap Million Pollinator Garden Challenge Celebrating Gardening: 2015 Plant and/or Seed Trader Garden Ideas: Master Level
Sue that is so wonderful. I am so thankful to have met you, and learned so much through postings on Cubits. It has been such a joy to me. Hope to see your Fri at Dancing Oaks. : )
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May 25, 2010 7:24 PM CST
Moderator
Name: Zuzu
Northern California (Zone 9a)
Region: Ukraine Charter ATP Member Region: California Cat Lover Roses Clematis
Irises Celebrating Gardening: 2015 Plant Identifier Garden Sages Plant Database Moderator Garden Ideas: Master Level
Please read this thread:

http://cubits.org/roses/thread...
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May 25, 2010 10:38 PM CST
Name: Steve
Prescott, AZ (Zone 7b)
Irises Lilies Roses Region: Southwest Gardening
Great photos, Sue!
When you dance with nature, try not to step on her toes.
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May 26, 2010 2:38 AM CST
Moderator
Name: Suzanne/Sue
Sebastopol, CA (Zone 9a)
Sunset Zone 15
Plant Database Moderator Region: California Cottage Gardener Garden Photography Roses Clematis
Daylilies Houseplants Foliage Fan Birds Butterflies Bee Lover
Toni, I just had a chance to look up Calliope Hummingbirds and I don't think that's what mine is. He's not that small and doesn't have the markings and white underparts as described & illustrated here:
http://identify.whatbird.com/o...

I believe he is an Anna's Hummingbird, one of the more common ones.
http://www.bird-friends.com/Bi...
My gardening Blog!
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May 26, 2010 9:26 AM CST
Name: Toni
Denver Metro (Zone 5a)
Whiskey Tango Foxtrot.
Birds Garden Ideas: Master Level Salvias Garden Procrastinator Irises I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database!
Charter ATP Member Xeriscape Region: Colorado Roses Cat Lover The WITWIT Badge
OK, Anna's are another one we never did get in our parts of the world, so that's not one I really researched. I just remember these teensy weensy itty-bitty birds who'd take on a rufus who was almost twice their size to make sure that they got their chance at the feeders. And when I saw the broken lines on the throat, that's what I thought they were. Mea culpa!
Roses are one of my passions! Just opened, my Etsy shop (to fund my rose hobby)! http://www.etsy.com/shop/Tweet...
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Jun 14, 2010 11:07 AM CST
Name: Toni
Denver Metro (Zone 5a)
Whiskey Tango Foxtrot.
Birds Garden Ideas: Master Level Salvias Garden Procrastinator Irises I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database!
Charter ATP Member Xeriscape Region: Colorado Roses Cat Lover The WITWIT Badge
Update: I have hummers! YAY! I know of at least 3 - I could hear 1 chittering and two were going to my feeders. In fact, I got "buzzed" yesterday evening as I was working in one of the flower beds and happen to be wearing a red shirt. Birdie got within about 2 feet of me.. I could have reached out & touched it if he stayed still long enough. YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'll try & get pictures (I didn't have my camera this weekend, not that it mattered as it rained all 3 days).
Roses are one of my passions! Just opened, my Etsy shop (to fund my rose hobby)! http://www.etsy.com/shop/Tweet...
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Jun 14, 2010 7:03 PM CST
Name: Lynn
Oregon City, OR (Zone 8b)
Charter ATP Member Garden Sages I helped plan and beta test the plant database. I helped beta test the Garden Planting Calendar I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Plant Database Moderator
Forum moderator I helped beta test the first seed swap Million Pollinator Garden Challenge Celebrating Gardening: 2015 Plant and/or Seed Trader Garden Ideas: Master Level
I was just outside at the edge of my tiny woodland hand watering with the hose. This tiny little girl humming bird came right up to my face. She kept turning and looking at the water, then she would turn and look at me. She did this about 4 time before I realized she wanted me to hold the hose still. Once I did she went right over the the spray of water. I think she was looking for insects that the water was causing to come up. What a wonderful few minutes that was.
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Jun 25, 2010 3:26 AM CST
Name: Vicky Thompson
Michigan (Zone 5b)
Sempervivums Roses Charter ATP Member Peonies Region: Michigan Lilies
I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Farmer Cottage Gardener Enjoys or suffers cold winters Annuals Daylilies
Love those little buggers.
I use to have one come sip water from the misty stream coming from my hose
in the early evening when i was making my rounds watering the container plants and refilling my bird bathes.
"I'd rather have roses on my table than diamonds on my neck"
Cottage Rose Birds n' Blossoms

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