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Post by Wanda on Jul 26, 2009 6:41:29 GMT -5
Around 8:30 pm on 7/25/09 I noticed several hummingbirds feeding on firespike bushes I have planted outside my windows. Location is Collier County, about 3 miles west of Collier Seminole State Park. Light drizzling rain at the time. There were at least 3 of them, maybe more as it was hard to keep track of them all. They were small, about the size of a very large moth, and I was unable to see their plumage clearly enough to identify them. Last summer on one occasion I spotted one hummingbird on the same bushes. I will be watching for return visits and will post again if I am able to identify them.
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Post by Steve Backes on Jul 26, 2009 7:25:22 GMT -5
It sounds like you are describing moths, sphinx moths. It's a common mistake made by many. I regularly get similar reports. The descriptive terms that make me think moth are "multiple", "very small", "one to one and a half inch", "brown", "stripes", "appearing at dusk or dawn", and often feeding at non-typical hummer plants. It is possible to see hummingbirds at the last light of day but they are usually seen earlier as well. You won't typically see more than one feeding in view of each other as they are very territorial birds and will chase others away before feeding. The firespike is a great hummingbird plant so I wouldn't be surprised if you saw a hummingbird feeding on it. If you saw the previous bird well enough to see green coloring there would be no doubt in its being a hummer. You refer to a smaller than normal bird where you couldn't see the plumage, probably due to the lack of lack of light (a main issue for why so many moths are misidentified as hummingbirds). Your size description along with the potential that you saw multiple birds feeding together is what makes me believe it's moths that you saw. They may not be birds but I still find them neat to watch. There are a lot of different species of sphinx moths in Florida. I've seen a few different species in my yard. Here's a couple of photos of Sphinx moths.   |
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Post by Steve Backes on Jul 26, 2009 11:27:16 GMT -5
I failed to emphasize that anything is possible and I don't mean to insist that you are seeing moths and not hummingbirds. With your lack of detailed description, this was my thought. If I'm wrong, at least I had the opportunity enlighten others with this information.
Sphinx moths need to be considered in conditions of low lighting where the "hummer" looks different. I emphasize to look at the tail (many sphinx moths have pointed rumps without tails that fan out) and then look for antennae.
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Post by Wanda on Jan 11, 2010 16:08:31 GMT -5
On Saturday morning 1/9/10, cold and drizzling rain, we were charmed by a hummingbird visiting our firespike bushes again. Irridescent green, lighter whitish throat area, black stripe on the eye.
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Post by Wanda on Nov 24, 2010 13:42:12 GMT -5
Another hummingbird visit to our firespike bushes on Sunday, 11/7/10, 11 am. Clear and chilly, a cold front had pushed through the area the night before. This bird was light green on top and whitish underneath, and looked most like photos i have seen of a female rubythroat.
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