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Post by Andy Thatcher on Jul 16, 2010 10:15:02 GMT -5
I just found the list of birds banded in your garden, great snap shot of activity but left me with a question.
I know from banding sunbirds in Africa that these little so and so's can be tricky to trap so was wondering about Black Chinned.
I see that you had 3 in 2005 but none since.
Is it the case that they haven't been present or just ermmm unco-operative ?
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Post by Steve Backes on Jul 16, 2010 11:32:24 GMT -5
Andy, A little of both. 2005 was a great year for Black-chinneds as I had at least two more that didn't get caught and others were banded throughout the state. There have been very few reported in central Florida since then. Field identification of a female or young Black-chinned not showing any purple gorget feathers is difficult and can not really be declared with certainty. The appearance of a duller head, thicker slightly down-curved bill, excessive tail pumping, etc. may be affected by the viewing conditions and there is some crossover in these field marks between the species, a small billed Black-chinned can appear smaller than a large billed Ruby-throat. A definite ID can only be declared through in hand measuring of various feathers. That said, every time that I've suspected one to be in the yard and we've been able to trap it, it has been proven to be a Black-chinned. In the years since 2005, I've suspected that a couple have been in my yard but they've avoided traps. Steve Hummingbirds in Florida on Facebook: www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=106975792655351
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Post by Andy Thatcher on Jul 16, 2010 12:42:58 GMT -5
Seems to all depend on those primaries.
Thanks for letting me know.
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