The Black-chins Return

In the east and the midwest, the arrival of Ruby-throated Hummingbirds in April is a dramatic event, an overnight passage from no hummingbirds to hummingbirds. Here in the southwest, it’s a little different; with nearly every feeder in Tucson hosting 2 or 3 species all winter, arriving migrants and summer residents can easily sneak in unnoticed.

I’ve spent most of today on the front porch, working on the trip list from last week’s run to Sonora. Inevitably, I’ve been distracted by the birds at the feeders: Gambel’s Quail, White-winged Doves, Pyrrhuloxia, and the usual lot, including Broad-billed, Costa’s, and a few Anna’s Hummingbirds. Around noon, a gray hummingbird diffidently approached one of our feeders, then hovered, tail a-pump, at our Mexican honeysuckle just long enough to be identified as our first Black-chinned Hummingbird of the year; her quick visit was followed by at least two males, one of whom even managed to get a drink before a Costa’s chased him off. It’s good to have them back, and to know that they will be daily fixtures now until deep into the fall.