[mou] Steve Yahn hummingbird

[Kim R Eckert]

Unless I missed it, I'm surprised that no one has posted a comment on 
mou-net on the ID of Steve Yahn's hummingbird. My intitial opinion was 
that it is an Anna's Hummingbird, and when I showed the photos to 
others I saw recently in Texas at the Harlingen birding festival 
(including ID experts Paul Lehman and Michael O'Brien), they concurred 
in that ID.

Its lack of rufous or buff tones on the flanks should preclude Calliope 
and the genus Selasphorus (Rufous, Allen's, and Broad-tailed), and its 
evenly spaced primaries of equal width would eliminate the genus 
Archilochus (Ruby-throated and Black-chinned). This leaves the genus 
Calypte (Anna's and Costa's): the primary tips falling short of the 
tail tip favors Anna's and tends to eliminate the shorter-tailed 
Costa's (whose folded primary tips normally extend beyond the tail).

Of course, its identity will be confirmed by the specimen, with the 
record evaluated by the MOU Records Committee.

- Kim Eckert


On Nov 1, 2006, at 8:33 PM, Dedrick Benz wrote:

> Stephen Yahn gave me permission to forward this to MOU-net.  I am 
> curious what opinions there may be regarding this bird's 
> identification.  Stephen also told me he will bring the specimen to 
> the Bell Museum.
>
> Dedrick Benz
> Winona, MN
>
>
>> From: "Stephen Yahn" <steveyahn@comcast.net>
>> Reply-To: steveyahn@comcast.net
>> To: mnbird@lists.mnbird.net
>> Subject: Re: [mnbird] Late Hummer
>> Date: Wed, 01 Nov 2006 17:28:31 -0600
>>
>> After the two sightings of the hummingbird reported previously, I saw 
>> it  again on Tuesday morning silhouetted in the pre-dawn light at a 
>> feeder.   After not seeing it for the rest of the day, I hoped that 
>> the cold front  might be the trigger to send it on its way to the 
>> tropics.  This morning  while having breakfast, I discovered it 
>> perched on the deck floor beneath  a frozen feeder.
>>
>> I approached it slowly and it didn't move so I took a few quick 
>> photos  before gently lifting it up and bringing it into the house.  
>> Knowing that  hummingbirds respond to cold by entering a state of 
>> torpor, I hoped that  warming the bird would restore its ability to 
>> feed.  After several hours,  it was obvious that the hummer was dead.
>>
>> Even with the help of a dozen reference books, I wasn't able to 
>> positively  identify the species.  My best guess is that it's an 
>> immature female  Ruby-throated, although I realize that some 
>> late-season sightings are of  Calliopes or Rufous.  For those of you 
>> with a more practiced eye or who  just want to see it, photos are 
>> available here:
>>
>> 	http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/stephen_yahn/album?.dir=/c339re2
>>
>> The first of the photos are of the bird as I discovered it.  The next 
>>  group are closeups taken inside.  The remainder were taken in 
>> natural  light.
>>
>> It is puzzling what causes this late appearance.  When I first saw 
>> the  hummingbird, it appeared able to fly and feed without 
>> impediment.  Did it  get a late start from the far north?  Did it 
>> have a defective migration  urge?  Was it lost?  No matter the 
>> reason, having a dead hummingbird in my  hand on November 1 is a sad 
>> experience.
>>
>> Steve Yahn
>> Eagan, Dakota County
>>
>>
>> On Mon, 30 Oct 2006 18:28:47 -0600, Stephen Yahn 
>> <steveyahn@comcast.net>  wrote:
>>
>>> Yesterday afternoon and again this morning there was a hummingbird 
>>> at my  feeders.  I wasn't able to make a positive 
>>> identification--the bird was  very skittish--but it appeared to be a 
>>> female or immature  Ruby-throated.  It's been six weeks since I've 
>>> seen a hummingbird here  and I was thinking about taking down the 
>>> nectar feeders for the season.
>>>
>>> By the fact that it was skittish and not gorging at the feeders, I  
>>> assume that it has been feeding reasonably well.  With the weather 
>>> set  to turn much colder, it would seem that the hummer should make 
>>> haste for  its winter range.  I wonder if the bird has come from the 
>>> farthest  reaches of its range, had migration delayed for some 
>>> reason, or has a  defective migration instinct.
>