[Birdtalk] Rufous Hummingbirds in Wasatch County

[Kristin Purdy]

Thursday morning I found myself up to my knees in immature Rufous and probably Broad-tailed Hummingbirds at Strawberrry Reservoir in Wasatch County. Along the northeast edge of the reservoir, the Ladders Day Use Area is served by a dirt road from US-40. The road is bordered by alfalfa-covered fields and the fields were jammed with hummingbirds. The hummers zoomed over the alfalfa like somebody had busted open a beehive and the bees were making their escape. 

Walking out into the field to be among them was an interesting experience. I should have worn my favorite ruby-red shirt that always causes hummers to buzz me, but I didn't think of it until it was too late. But a few curious birds still zoomed straight to me and took a good look before they returned to foraging and chasing the other birds.

I set up my scope on the dirt road panning west over the knee-high alfalfa and could pick up hummingbirds perched on the flowers. One particular Rufous, which I believe was a juvenile male, consistently landed on a little curling wire on a metal post about 8 feet away from me with his back to me and the eastern sun. From that vantage point he surveyed his thousand-square foot little kingdom. Each of the hummers was defending a similar territory. And what noise they made! 

I don't think any adult male Rufous were present. Not only did I not see one, I didn't hear any wing-whirrs in an hour or so of watching and listening. 

An adult female Rufous is frequenting the feeders on the porch of the Lodgepole Grill at Daniel Summit Lodge at the summit between Heber Valley and Strawberry; about mile 34.3 of US-40. Several Broad-tailed Hummers are using the feeders also. The Rufous' first task on each arrival at the feeders was to chase the others away.

Lodgepole Campground just below the summit on the north side produced great looks at several Red Crossbills yesterday morning. The crossbills were in the Austrian Pines along the descending entrance road, at the very first parking lot across from the dump station, and along the first part of the road to Loop A. This is a fairly small area and the birds could easily be heard from any of the three spots listed above. One obliging male perched and sang for as long as I cared to watch him on a dead willow branch just 10 feet high at the parking area.

Kris
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