Hummers on the Move

This week is approaching the peak of migration for Rufous Hummingbirds, so yesterday I did a feeder stakeout at the hummingbird feeders at Spring Hollow Campground in search of this species. The campground host has put out about ten hummingbird feeders, and they draw quite an array of hummers. I saw about 25 Broad-tailed Hummingbirds, ten Black-chinned Hummingbirds, two Calliope Hummingbirds, and one female Rufous Hummingbird. The female Rufous Hummingbird was a first of the year for me. This species breeds in the Pacific Northwest US and western Canada, all the way up to Alaska. It has an interesting migration pattern, moving north along the coast but returning south across a broader swath of the continent, including through Utah, so we usually only get them in the fall. I also saw the first ever Rufous Hummingbird from my yard today, the 55th species seen or heard from my yard. The bird above is a female or juvenile Broad-tailed Hummingbird, and was photographed at the feeders at Spring Hollow where I saw the Rufous Hummingbird. I also got a photo of the Rufous, but this one's better.