It's not everyday that I encounter a new species of hummingbird for the very first time. Of course in my limited time birding it's not an unreasonable expectation as there are over three hundred known species. But only a single one, the ruby-throated, visits most areas of the United States and Canada. In large swathes of the West, almost ten more are found depending on the season. Lucky for us in the Southwest, especially Arizona, as many as twenty different species spend at least some time in the state as year-round, migratory or breeding residents.
So I had high expectations when I made my first visit to Patagonia near the Mexican border last weekend. I made the almost three hour drive from my home in Phoenix even though it was long past the summer breeding season and just past fall migration. My first stop there was at the Paton Center for Hummingbirds - with such a descriptive name I was bound to find some new specimens in the family.
The Center is managed by the Tucson Audubon Society at the Paton family's former home in Patagonia, close to Sonoita Creek's natural riparian corridor. 213 species of birds have been seen at this sight, including of course a number of hummingbirds. The morning I visited I saw many Anna's and broad-billed in addition to a rufous, and there was a report that a blue-throated was in the area. While I didn't see the latter, I was thrilled to see my first violet-crowned hummingbird.
Aptly named, it has a brilliant amethyst-colored cap with a striking white throat and torso. Its bright orange beak contrasts with its drab, olive green back and wings. The male is distinguished from the female by a black tip on his beak.
This southern region of Arizona is currently the northern limit of the bird's range, one that mostly includes western Mexico. Jaunts north of the border are usually for summer breeding, with some males like the one or two I encountered in Patagonia residing year-round. Maybe the bottomless supply of sugar water in the feeders at the Paton Center is too irresistible of a temptation for the violet-crowned hummingbird. It sure got me to visit!
So I had high expectations when I made my first visit to Patagonia near the Mexican border last weekend. I made the almost three hour drive from my home in Phoenix even though it was long past the summer breeding season and just past fall migration. My first stop there was at the Paton Center for Hummingbirds - with such a descriptive name I was bound to find some new specimens in the family.
The Center is managed by the Tucson Audubon Society at the Paton family's former home in Patagonia, close to Sonoita Creek's natural riparian corridor. 213 species of birds have been seen at this sight, including of course a number of hummingbirds. The morning I visited I saw many Anna's and broad-billed in addition to a rufous, and there was a report that a blue-throated was in the area. While I didn't see the latter, I was thrilled to see my first violet-crowned hummingbird.
Aptly named, it has a brilliant amethyst-colored cap with a striking white throat and torso. Its bright orange beak contrasts with its drab, olive green back and wings. The male is distinguished from the female by a black tip on his beak.
This southern region of Arizona is currently the northern limit of the bird's range, one that mostly includes western Mexico. Jaunts north of the border are usually for summer breeding, with some males like the one or two I encountered in Patagonia residing year-round. Maybe the bottomless supply of sugar water in the feeders at the Paton Center is too irresistible of a temptation for the violet-crowned hummingbird. It sure got me to visit!
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| Violet-crowned hummingbird. |
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| Violet-crowned hummingbird. Note his beak's black tip, identifying him as a male. |
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| The iridescence of the violet-crowned hummingbird's cap disappears when he turns his head. |
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| Violet-crowned hummingbird at the Paton Center's feeder, with a female broad-billed hummingbird. |
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