This is my favorite time of the year to go for a weekend
trip to the Julian mountains. There are lots of campgrounds in the area but I
love going to KQ Ranch Resort. I arrived at my favorite campsite around noon and by the time
we settled and had lunch, it was past 2:00pm. I was eager to go and see if I
could find a Costa's or a Calliope Hummingbird. Hurrying up a grade, a 10
minute walk west from my campsite, I started my search.
As I stepped out of my RV, I immediately spotted a male
Western Bluebird perched on a branch nearby.
A female bluebird came to the tree but flew into a
hollowed out part of the tree. One of the branches appears to have been cut and
it rotted to a nice hollow spot for the bluebirds.
Looking out for predators.
A male enters the hollow nest site with nest
material.
The female is back again.
She hears the camera and looks my way.
Close-up.
The male is back again and he tests out the nest.
Several seconds later he pops out.
Close-up.
The female comes to the nest with nesting material
too.
Close-up.
The male is back and checks the nest again. They appeared
to be really busy as they flew back and forth all afternoon. I was ready to
walk up the trail heading west to find some hummingbirds.
The male Western Bluebird perches near the trail as if to say ,
"Where are you going?" Soon he was busy flying back to the nest site.
On my way to the hummingbird patch, I spotted one of many,
many California Scrub-Jays in this area. This one is perched next to the trail on a scrub oak branch.
I call this area the hummingbird patch
because of the many clumps of Penstemon eatonii plants, commonly known as "Firecracker" plant.
Wow, I am looking right at a female Costa Hummingbird!
Look at that beautiful purple color flashing from her throat.
Costa's Hummingbird, Calypte
costae measures 3.5 inches long with a wingspan of 4.75 inches.
This may be an adult female with a spot of color on its chin. Many females may
not show any color on the chin.
These beautiful hummingbirds love this plant and appear
to guard these flower patches very aggressively.
Getting a good sip of nectar from the flower.
A flash of purple.
The purple central patch on the chin is very visible.
This shows the short paddle-shaped tail of an adult
female Costa's Hummingbird.
The bill is slightly curved. It appears to be covered
with dry pollen.
The purple spot on the chin looks black when turned to
the side.
Beautiful purple color flashes as she looks my way.
Her wingtips project just beyond tail tip.
A nice close look at the female Costa's Hummingbird.
Side view.
In flight.
She keeps an eye on me but never stops guarding her
territory.
They have a short and stubby look and the head appears
larger then most hummers.
Adorable shot. This shot shows the length of her wings
compared to her tail. The females have the white tips on the tail. The males
have dark tail tips.
A beautiful hummingbird.
Getting some color flash.
Time to get back to the RV . I will check this area
tomorrow morning to see if I can find a male Costa's Hummingbird. She appears
to wave goodbye!
One last shot...
It's morning and the sun is nice and bright. I find
the female Costa's Hummingbird in the exact same area as yesterday.
I spot the beautiful purple flash on her chin.
A larger bird lands in a nearby snag. It is appears
to be a female Black-headed Grosbeak. It soon flies off and I am again looking
for Costa's Hummers.
I look south of the road to another patch of
"firecracker plants" and find two hummers in a confrontation. I'm not sure
about the ID of the hummer pictured on the right of this photo but I immediately
recognize that I am looking at a beautiful male Costa's Hummingbird perched on
the left.
What a beauty. He is perched quite far and the greenish
background is the side of a horse barn.
You can see the long flared gorget on this adult male
Costa's Hummingbird.
He finally flies to his patch of flowers.
Because of the angle of the sun at his back, I am not
able to get that beautiful purple flash from his gorget.
Close-up.
White eyebrow. Getting a good side view.
Getting a little flash of color. Purple crown and
throat.
Frontal shot.
Short tail with dark tips.
This was the best shot I could get of the throat iridescence.
A good look at the white patch on the neck and
shoulder.
Side view.
A view of the back.
These hummers will take your breath away. This has
been a wonderful day to see the Costa's Hummingbird. It's been about 3 years
since I have seen one of these beauties. One of these days I hope to get a super
flash of the metallic purple flash of these beautiful hummers.
Heading for home, we stopped at Mom's Pie shop to
purchase a pie to take home. A Strawberry Rhubarb is my favorite. But the best
part of stopping here is to observe Mom's garden and orchard. It is in full
bloom this time of the year. Here are some shots from Mom's Pie Shop's orchard
and garden.
Have a wonderful Memorial weekend
everyone!
