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Wednesday, 12 March 2014

Wild Bird Wednesday 87 - Anna's and Broad- Billed Hummingbirds

There are times when I see things seem so improbable, so entirely unlike anything I ever thought I would see when I was a kid, that I have to pinch myself just to check I'm not dreaming.

In bird books as a kid I saw pictures of the Hoopoe, and knew, deep down that I would never see one: except that in 2012 I did, in Oman, in a car park!

But at least their presence in bird book gave me hope.

And then there were birds that never even made into my books.  Birds that I only saw on television, often being described by David Attenborough - birds like Hummingbirds.

Birds like the one I found perched on the very top of a tree in a car park (again) in Scottsdale!

I just stood there and watched as it took off, buzzed around a few times and disappeared into the late afternoon traffic.  I was dumbfounded.  I checked my watch and phoned home.

A day or so later at the Boyce Thompson Arboretum, near the rather confidently name town of Superior, and there were Hummingbirds all over the place.  I took rather a lot of pictures.

Most of the hummers were Anna's Hummingbirds, but my guide also pointed out Costa's and Broad- billed.  I would have been happy with one species!

I have taken advice on the ID of these birds - the first three are female Broad-Billed Humming Birds and the final three are Anna's.

Broad-Billed Humming Bird
Broad-Billed Humming Bird
Broad-Billed Humming Bird
Anna's Hummingbird
Anna's Hummingbird
Anna's Hummingbird
Now its your turn to link up to WBW!

Please remember to limit the text in the Link Up to a name and location - it does look better I think!



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44 comments:

  1. TexWisGirl12 March 2014 at 02:05

    aren't they marvelous little flying jewels? i've never seen an anna's but i still marvel at the ruby-throated we see here. glad you got to see them!

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  2. Carletta12 March 2014 at 02:24

    We have the ruby-throated hummers here. Someday maybe I'll see the Anna's. Until then thanks for sharing your experience with them.
    Lovely photos!

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  3. Findlay Wilde12 March 2014 at 02:45

    So much to see and enjoy. I really enjoyed your hummingbird pictures. Maybe one day. From Findlay

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  4. Gail Dixon12 March 2014 at 03:05

    Wow, Stewart. Absolutely breathtaking! What gifts to the world they are. Your photos are excellent!

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  5. DeniseinVA12 March 2014 at 03:16

    I love hummers but I rarely get to see them. When I do it's a breathe stopping moment. Great photos Stewart and thanks for hosting.

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  6. Sallie (FullTime-Life)12 March 2014 at 03:17

    The hummer pics are fabulous! I never thought about your not seeing them in Australia (and here I thought you had all the colorful birds over there). They're really almost hypnotizing to watch aren't they.

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  7. Jo12 March 2014 at 03:49

    The hummingbird pics are stunning, Stewart. Thanks for sharing. I'll link my blog tomorrow, which is Wednesday in Africa! Greetings, Jo

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  8. Author R. Mac Wheeler12 March 2014 at 04:09

    great photos

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  9. Rohrerbot12 March 2014 at 04:11

    Most are definitely Anna's in your photos. The females are the trickiest in the hummingbird world. But they are quite common around the area you were visiting:) Congrats!Check carefully on your photos of the females to make sure you don't have a female Broad-billed Hummingbird. Easy with an orange bill but some can appear totally dark with a hint of orange at the base:) If you have any observation notes, they can also help. The males are of course easy to ID. Beautiful Anna's shots!

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  10. Carole M.12 March 2014 at 05:39

    ...what a total buzz Stewart and fabulous photos to share, thanks a bunch :)

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  11. mick12 March 2014 at 06:01

    Great photos of the Hummingbirds. I wish we had them out here!

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  12. Unknown12 March 2014 at 06:05

    Hummingbirds are my favorite kind of birds. They are amazing and you captured this one kind so nicely.

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  13. Pat Tillett12 March 2014 at 06:49

    Fantastic photos Stewart! I love hummingbirds. We usually end up with a nest on our patio every year.

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  14. Gordon12 March 2014 at 07:02

    Thats a smart little Hummer Stewart, and beautifully photographed
    All the best Gordon.

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  15. Andrea @ From The Sol12 March 2014 at 07:26

    I thought I was posting the cutest little bird, but I see I have been out done by you this week. That is an adorable or should I say handsome little male Anna's hummingbird. Their color amazes me ... we have nothing like that around here. We have the Ruby throat which are equally as gorgeous, but since we have them around all of the time, I am not as impressed with them anymore :) So I am glad this is a dream fulfilled, Stewart ... I hope someday I will be able to say the same when I arrive on the shores of Australia ( I am seriously working in that as you are on my bucket list:) Have a great week ...

    Andrea @From The Sol

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  16. Connie Smiley12 March 2014 at 07:36

    Oh, Stewart, they are so beautiful! I'm glad you finally got to see some, and grateful that you shared those wonderful photos with us. I've never seen an Anna's, and yours were a particularly good introduction.

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  17. Unknown12 March 2014 at 07:44

    Gorgeous little birds. I'd love to see hummingbirds one day.

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  18. eileeninmd12 March 2014 at 07:54

    Stewart, lucky you! On the east coast we only see the Ruby-throated Hummingbird. So seeing the three different species of hummers is a cool sighting to me! Congrats! Love the photos. Thanks for hosting and I wish you a happy week!

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  19. Brian King12 March 2014 at 08:39

    These are fantastic! Very nice shots! We only have one species of hummingbird in this area.

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  20. Margaret Birding For Pleasure12 March 2014 at 11:06

    HI Stewart How wonderful to see this little guy. Your shots are fantastic

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  21. Arija12 March 2014 at 12:10

    Such a joy to see your Hummers Stewart.
    This new linking programme had me chasing my tail for a awhile, I changed it twice to my usual subscript but it still got the better of me. It also brought up the wrong pictures for choice of thumbnail but I managed to trick it there.

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  22. Small City Scenes12 March 2014 at 13:40

    Beautiful little Hummers. Love 'em.
    Isn't Bryce Thompson Arboretum a wonderful place. We were there 2 years ago in March. Loved it. MB

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  23. Small City Scenes12 March 2014 at 13:43

    Of course I meant Boyce. Haha!
    MB

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  24. John @ Beans and I on the Loose12 March 2014 at 14:13

    Glad you were able to see three different species of hummers. great captures Stewart.

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  25. amanda12 March 2014 at 15:35

    I'm so happy that you were able to see hummingbirds! I've always wanted to see an Anna's.. our beloved hummers are Ruby Throats.
    They're very fascinating & bold, they'll come very close.
    I have friends who have visited that very arboretum, but I have not.
    Fantastic photos, Stewart!

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  26. Fun6012 March 2014 at 18:57

    Your photos are fantastic Stewart. What a delight to be able to watch these birds.

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  27. Hootin Anni12 March 2014 at 20:52

    AZ is a great place for birding!! Fantastic captures Stewart.

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  28. Hootin Anni12 March 2014 at 21:31

    ...by the way, I forgot to mention this...the tree with the green bark is called Palo Verde. I miss them down here...love the yellow blossoms in Spring.

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  29. hannah12 March 2014 at 21:50

    Stewart, sorry about the capital letters. Didn't mean to.

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  30. Optimistic Existentialist12 March 2014 at 23:01

    My favorite birds Stewart! Them and woodpeckers. I love the shots you got of them perching on branches - such a rare sight!

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  31. Montanagirl13 March 2014 at 00:21

    Gorgeous shots of the Hummers. They are just so amazing!

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  32. thewovenspoke13 March 2014 at 00:40

    Stewart, I'm so glad you got to see and photograph so many hummingbirds when you were here (AZ) visiting. If you ever get to the Southwest again go to Colorado mountains in the summer and you will be diving for cover there are sometimes bunches of different kinds all over the wildflowers. :) I can't wait to see next weeks birds. take care

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  33. jp@A Green Ridge13 March 2014 at 02:57

    Stewart, as I scrolled through your pix, all I kept say was "OMG" after each one...these are so gorgeous and I cannot wait for our hummers to reappear!...:)JP

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  34. Nette Cecilia13 March 2014 at 04:23

    Very beautiful photos of the lovley bird ,Nette

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  35. Jutta.K.13 March 2014 at 06:18

    Was für wunderschöne Fotos. Solche kleinen vögel habe ich noch nie in echt gesehen, sie gibt es bei uns in Deutschland nicht in freier Natur.
    Danke für diese herrlichen Aufnahmen.
    Lieben Gruß
    Jutta

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  36. Adam Tilt13 March 2014 at 06:59

    Amazing birds. Can remember the first time I ever saw one in California and I was just in awe. One of those things you never expect to see.

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  37. Wally Jones13 March 2014 at 07:09

    It appears you were inspired by the name of the town you were in and took some truly "Superior" photographs!

    Absolutely stunning, Stewart!

    Hope you had a good trip and are catching up on rest.

    Take care. -Wally

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  38. Jo13 March 2014 at 15:11

    Hi Stewart, I hope you don't mind, I've linked a second birding post to your meme. I had a wonderful sighting which I wrote about at the end of today's (Thursday)post. Have a great day. Jo

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  39. Anonymous14 March 2014 at 10:23

    Gorgeous little flying gems! Great photos, Stewart.

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  40. Anonymous14 March 2014 at 14:06

    Nice hummingbird captures! So glad you got to see them on your recent(?) trip. Thanks for hosting!

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  41. Mary Howell Cromer14 March 2014 at 22:29

    Wonderful, absolutely wonderful! I had the pleasure of seeing Anna's Hummingbirds 2 years ago in CA. The sad part for me, was we arrived at out lodging just before dark and left at the crack of dawn. So while I got a few images, I got nothing compared to the brilliance of these images!

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  42. Esther Joy15 March 2014 at 01:41

    What beautiful shots of a gorgeous little creature! Our ruby-throats should be coming back in about a month or so.

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  43. Anonymous17 March 2014 at 08:10

    Absolutely beautiful photography! Hummingbirds are one of my favorite birds to watch! :-)

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  44. Karen17 March 2014 at 14:43

    Brilliant Stewart!!!

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