Hummingbirds and More....

Last year, after finding that buying hummingbird feeders around here is next to impossible, I brought several with me this time.  There are now 4 hummingbird feeders out around our house...  and while we've seen a hummer zap by a couple of times, none have stopped at my feeders.  I hope they get used to them as we really enjoy seeing the hummers in action.

We take long walks nearly every day and occasionally we've seen hummers along the river.  The following 4 photos are the same bird...  none of the photos are very good...  lighting, speed and "operator error"...  but looking at the slightly curved bill, we think this is a Broad-billed Hummingbird.

 Catching a rear view of him as he's hovering over the morning glories.

Another rear view...  he likes those red flowers.

A side view...  he's got that beak right down into that flower!

And while he did finally sit still on a branch, it was so far away from us that it was still nearly impossible for me to ID him/her. (a female Broad-billed has a dark stripe across the eye)

Of course we'll see more as time goes on...  and if we're lucky, they'll find our feeders and visit us often.  I may get better photo opportunities later...

Another unknown bird...  

I thought at first it was a female Painted Bunting, but that heavy beak and the white circle around the eye give me serious doubts.  Hmmmm....

This Striped-headed Sparrow looks like he doesn't have tail...  but it's the angle of the shot...  he's just fine.  

I think this is a Tropical Kingbird, even though you can't see any "whiskers" around his bill.  On the Cassin's Kingbird, the white throat extends further up under the eye. 

 And another mystery bird....

About the size of a bluebird...  but this guy was quite a distance off.

I brought a whole box of books with us this time, but couldn't find my field guide to Birds of Central America, so am depending on the National Geographic and Sibley apps on my Ipad.  If any of you out there know of an app I can download for a field guide to Mexican birds, please let me know.

When we were renting last year, we walked every day...  miles!  Now that we have bought a house we still walk, but we are spending more time making the place "ours"...  that includes doing more shopping for things we need or want to change, or just being at home rearranging, getting rid of stuff we don't need and fixing things that need fixed.  Good thing Bill is a first class handyman!

More on all that later...

That's All For Today!