Black-Chinned Hummingbird
Archilochus alexandri
The Black-Chinned Hummingbirds are found during the summer breeding season in most of the Western USA. Many will spend winters either near the west coast of mainland Mexico, but some will remain year round in north-central Mexico and southern Texas.
I have read reports claiming Black-Chinned Hummingbirds build their nests near nesting birds of prey. We believe this practice deters nest predators.
As with most hummingbirds, the female is larger than the male. Taxonomists regard the Black-Chinned Hummingbird as monotypic (i.e. there are no recognised subspecies).
Closely related to Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds, there are some key differences. Black-Chinned seek their summer homes in western USA. While Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds go east during their spring migration. The gorget of the male Ruby-Throated is brilliant red, while those on the male Black-Chinned are pure black bordered with deep violet feathers. At rest, the primary wing feathers of the Ruby-Throat are narrow, while those of the Black-Chinned broaden to a wider tip.
Most of the hummingbird nests I find belong to Anna’s Hummingbirds, and these are decorated profusely with bits of lichen. They are a work of art. When I have found Black-Chinned Hummingbirds’ nests, they seem plain by comparison. Present are lichen flakes, but not in the same abundance as the Anna’s Hummingbirds’ masterpieces.
33 Photos
Black-Chinned Hummingbird(Archilochus alexandri) |
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Description: Beatty's Guest Ranch in Miller Canyon, near Hereford, Arizona. |
Date Taken: 2013:08:27 16:07 |
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Location:
Miller Canyon |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/100 |
File Name: D3X1980-BlackChinnedHummingBird |
| © 2013 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Black-Chinned Hummingbird(Archilochus alexandri) |
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Description: Beatty's Guest Ranch in Miller Canyon, near Hereford, Arizona. |
Date Taken: 2013:08:28 14:57 |
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Location:
Miller Canyon |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/160 |
File Name: D3X2205-BlackChinnedHummingbird |
| © 2013 Jack Daynes, shadeTree-Imaging |
Black-Chinned Hummingbird(Archilochus alexandri) |
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Description: Goodan Ranch, Sycamore Canyon. Poway, California. San Diego County 2008-09-08. |
Date Taken: 2008:09:08 17:26 |
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Location:
Gooden Ranch |
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Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/80 |
File Name: jcd0272BlackChinnedHummingbird |
| © 2008 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Black-Chinned Hummingbird(Archilochus alexandri) |
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Description: BoBlitz 2008 at Balboa Park. This was the first BioBlitz event conducted by the San Diego Natural History Museum. San Diego California 2008-05-02. |
Date Taken: 2008:05:03 10:08 |
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Location:
Balboa Park |
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Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 390 mm, f/6.3, 1/60 |
File Name: JCD4811BlackChinnedHummingBirdNest |
| © 2008 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Black-Chinned Hummingbird(Archilochus alexandri) |
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Description: Female bird at Mission Trails Regional Park, near Santee, California in San Diego County 2009-05-01. |
Date Taken: 2009:05:02 10:12 |
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Location:
Mission Trails Regional Park |
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Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/1500 |
File Name: jcd7436.BlackChinnedHummingBird |
| © 2009 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Black-Chinned Hummingbird(Archilochus alexandri) |
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Description: Female bird at Mission Trails Regional Park, near Santee, California in San Diego County 2009-05-01. |
Date Taken: 2009:05:02 10:13 |
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Location:
Mission Trails Regional Park |
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Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/2500 |
File Name: jcd7444.BlackChinnedHummingBird |
| © 2009 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Black-Chinned Hummingbird(Archilochus alexandri) |
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Description: High Valley Area. Poway, California (San Diego County). |
Date Taken: 2008:07:20 16:09 |
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Location:
High Valley |
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Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/640 |
File Name: jcd8579BlackChinnedHummingBird |
| © 2008 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Black-Chinned Hummingbird(Archilochus alexandri) |
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Description: High Valley Area. Poway, California (San Diego County). |
Date Taken: 2008:07:30 8:02 |
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Location:
High Valley |
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Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 400 mm, f/2.8, 1/5000 |
File Name: jcd9482BlackChinnedHummingBird |
| © 2008 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Black-Chinned Hummingbird(Archilochus alexandri) |
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Description: Goodan Ranch, Sycamore Canyon. Poway, California. San Diego County. |
Date Taken: 2008:09:07 14:20 |
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Location:
Goodan Ranch |
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Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/2000 |
File Name: jcd9919BlackChinnedHummingBird |
| © 2008 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Black-chinned Hummingbird(Archilochus alexandri) |
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Description: Sitting on a nest in the Arivaca Cienega, Buenos Aires NWR. Arivaca, South Central Arizona. |
Date Taken: 2001:04:07 12:48 |
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Location:
Arivaca Cienega |
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Camera Information: Nikon SUPER COOLSCAN 4000 ED, |
File Name: A1D07b21-BlackChinnedHummingbird |
| © 2001 Jack Daynes, shadeTree Imaging |
Black-chinned Hummingbird(Archilochus alexandri) |
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Description: Female. Ramsey Canyon, North-East Face of the Huachuca Mountains. Sierra Vista, Arizona. |
Date Taken: 2004:09:02 13:21 |
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Location:
Ramsey Canyon |
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Camera Information: NIKON D1X, 700 mm, f/8.0, 1/160 |
File Name: JCD_0001BlackChinnedHummingbird |
| © 2004 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Black-Chinned Hummingbird(Archilochus alexandri) |
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Description: Beatty's Miller Canyon Guest Ranch, East Face of the Huachuca Mountains. Sierra Vista, Arizona. |
Date Taken: 2004:09:02 16:11 |
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Location:
Miller Canyon |
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Camera Information: NIKON D1X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/80 |
File Name: JCD_0125BlackChinnedHummingbird |
| © 2004 Jack Daynes, shadeTree Imaging |
Black-Chinned Hummingbird(Archilochus alexandri) |
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Description: Rio Grande Nature Center near Albuquerque New Mexico 2003-08-22. |
Date Taken: 2003:08:22 15:49 |
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Location:
Rio Grande Nature Center |
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Camera Information: NIKON D1X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/640 |
File Name: JCD_0381BlackChinnedHummingbird |
| © 2003 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Black-chinned Hummingbird(Archilochus alexandri) |
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Description: Female. Beatty's Miller Canyon Guest Ranch, East Face of the Huachuca Mountains. Sierra Vista, Arizona. |
Date Taken: 2004:09:02 13:21 |
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Location:
Miller Canyon |
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Camera Information: NIKON D1X, 700 mm, f/8.0, 1/160 |
File Name: JCD_9995BlackChinnedHummingbird |
| © 2004 Jack Daynes, shadeTree Imaging |
Black-Chinned Hummingbird(Archilochus alexandri) |
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Description: Sabino Canyon Recreation Area in northern Tucson Arizona. |
Date Taken: 2017:04:25 14:48 |
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Location:
Sabino Canyon |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/3200 |
File Name: BlackChinnedHummingbird_D5X7692 |
| © 2017 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Black-Chinned Hummingbird(Archilochus alexandri) |
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Description: Some of my time late in the day during my stay at the Boyce-Thompson Arboretum was spent at the hummer feeders. The arboretum is near Superior Arizona. |
Date Taken: 2020:02:24 11:33 |
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Location:
Boyce-Thompson Arboretum |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/800 |
File Name: BlackChinnedHummingbird_D5X1455-Boyce-Thompson |
| © 2020 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Black-Chinned Hummingbird(Archilochus alexandri) |
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Description: There were Black-Chinned Hummingbirds wherre I spent the early morning at the Boyce-Thompson Arboretum near Superior, Arizona. The day was sunny and the birds were friendly. |
Date Taken: 2020:05:26 8:51 |
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Location:
Boyce-Thompson Arboretum |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/8000 |
File Name: BlackChinnedHummingbird_D5X4983-Boyce-Thompson |
| © 2020 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Black-Chinned Hummingbird(Archilochus alexandri) |
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Description: Black-Chinned and Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds were migrating through southern Texas during my visit. The Ruby-Throats all would move north and east, but a few of the Black-Chins would remain to raise families. The Convention Center on South Padre Island, Texas is a first rate birding destination. I spent several hours in the morning and several more in the afternoon on this day. |
Date Taken: 2020:04:30 14:26 |
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Location:
Convention Center |
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Camera Information: NIKON D500, 800 mm, f/7.1, 1/1250 |
File Name: BlackChinnedHummingbird_D500578-South-Padre |
| © 2020 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Black-Chinned Hummingbird(Archilochus alexandri) |
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Description: Black-Chinned and Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds were migrating through southern Texas during my visit. The Ruby-Throats all would move north and east, but a few of the Black-Chins would remain to raise families. The Convention Center on South Padre Island, Texas is a first rate birding destination. I spent several hours in the morning and several more in the afternoon on this day. |
Date Taken: 2020:04:30 8:02 |
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Location:
Convention Center |
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Camera Information: NIKON D500, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/1250 |
File Name: BlackChinnedHummingbird_D509505-South-Padre |
| © 2020 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Black-Chinned Hummingbird(Archilochus alexandri) |
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Description: Black-Chinned and Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds were migrating through southern Texas during my visit. The Ruby-Throats all would move north and east, but a few of the Black-Chins would remain to raise families. The Convention Center on South Padre Island, Texas is a first rate birding destination. I spent several hours in the morning and several more in the afternoon on this day. |
Date Taken: 2020:04:30 9:20 |
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Location:
Convention Center |
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Camera Information: NIKON D500, 800 mm, f/7.1, 1/1250 |
File Name: BlackChinnedHummingbird_D509798-South-Padre |
| © 2020 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Black-Chinned Hummingbird(Archilochus alexandri) |
|
Description: Black-Chinned and Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds were migrating through southern Texas during my visit. The Ruby-Throats all would move north and east, but a few of the Black-Chins would remain to raise families. The Convention Center on South Padre Island, Texas is a first rate birding destination. I spent several hours in the morning and several more in the afternoon on this day. |
Date Taken: 2020:04:30 9:20 |
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Location:
Convention Center |
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Camera Information: NIKON D500, 800 mm, f/7.1, 1/1250 |
File Name: BlackChinnedHummingbird_D509798-South-Padre |
| © 2020 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Black-Chinned Hummingbird(Archilochus alexandri) |
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Description: I spent much of my stay at Davis Mountains State Park working on images and stories from earlier episodes from my expedition. But on my third day in the park, I drove up-slope to Skyline Drive and looked for Montezuma Quail. They were ‘heard’ but not seen. Hummingbirds and Barn Swallows feeding babies at the Nature Center were more accessible. |
Date Taken: 2023:07:06 12:19 |
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Location:
Davis Mountains State Park |
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Camera Information: NIKON Z 9, 800 mm, f/6.3, 1/800 |
File Name: BlackChinnedHummingbird_Z9X9905_DavisMountains.SP-TX |
| © 2023 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Black-Chinned Hummingbird(Archilochus alexandri) |
|
Description: I spent much of my stay at Davis Mountains State Park working on images and stories from earlier episodes from my expedition. But on my third day in the park, I drove up-slope to Skyline Drive and looked for Montezuma Quail. They were ‘heard’ but not seen. Hummingbirds and Barn Swallows feeding babies at the Nature Center were more accessible. |
Date Taken: 2023:07:06 12:19 |
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Location:
Davis Mountains State Park |
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Camera Information: NIKON Z 9, 800 mm, f/6.3, 1/800 |
File Name: BlackChinnedHummingbird_Z9X9863_DavisMountains.SP-TX |
| © 2023 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Black-Chinned Hummingbird(Archilochus alexandri) |
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Description: Before I settled in at my campsite at Davis Mountains State Park, I stopped at their “Wildlife Viewing Area”. The light wasn’t great, but the birds were pretty nice. |
Date Taken: 2023:07:04 15:09 |
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Location:
Davis Mountains State Park |
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Camera Information: NIKON Z 9, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/800 |
File Name: BlackChinnedHummingbird_Z9X9558_DavisMountains.SP-TX |
| © 2023 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Black-Chinned Hummingbird(Archilochus alexandri) |
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Description: Before I settled in at my campsite at Davis Mountains State Park, I stopped at their “Wildlife Viewing Area”. The light wasn’t great, but the birds were pretty nice. |
Date Taken: 2023:07:04 15:07 |
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Location:
Davis Mountains State Park |
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Camera Information: NIKON Z 9, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/800 |
File Name: BlackChinnedHummingbird_Z9X9473_DavisMountains.SP-TX |
| © 2023 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Black-Chinned Hummingbird(Archilochus alexandri) |
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Description: In the middle of the small West Texas town of Marathon, is a lovely park called Gage Gardens. I find it an irresistible place to visit whenever I pass through the region. |
Date Taken: 2023:07:04 10:45 |
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Location:
Gage Gardens |
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Camera Information: NIKON Z 9, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/800 |
File Name: BlackChinnedHummingbird_Z9X8586_GageGardens.Marathon-TX |
| © 2023 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Black-Chinned Hummingbird(Archilochus alexandri) |
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Description: In the middle of the small West Texas town of Marathon, is a lovely park called Gage Gardens. I find it an irresistible place to visit whenever I pass through the region. |
Date Taken: 2023:07:04 10:44 |
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Location:
Gage Gardens |
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Camera Information: NIKON Z 9, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/800 |
File Name: BlackChinnedHummingbird_Z9X8570_GageGardens.Marathon-TX |
| © 2023 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Black-Chinned Hummingbird(Archilochus alexandri) |
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Description: Most hummingbirds migrate. Here in the Anza-Borrego desert, some of these tiniest birds find the region suitable year-round. |
Date Taken: 2023:03:14 13:23 |
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Location:
Tamarisk Grove |
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Camera Information: NIKON Z 9, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/800 |
File Name: BlackChinnedHummingbird_Z9X1623_Anza-Borrego_TamariskGrove |
| © 2023 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Black-Chinned Hummingbird(Archilochus alexandri) |
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Description: Most hummingbirds migrate. Here in the Anza-Borrego desert, some of these tiniest birds find the region suitable year-round. |
Date Taken: 2023:03:14 11:15 |
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Location:
Tamarisk Grove |
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Camera Information: NIKON Z 9, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/800 |
File Name: BlackChinnedHummingbird_Z9X1002_Anza-Borrego_TamariskGrove |
| © 2023 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Black-Chinned Hummingbird(Archilochus alexandri) |
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Description: Most hummingbirds migrate. Here in the Anza-Borrego desert, some of these tiniest birds find the region suitable year-round. |
Date Taken: 2023:03:14 11:09 |
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Location:
Tamarisk Grove |
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Camera Information: NIKON Z 9, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/800 |
File Name: BlackChinnedHummingbird_Z9X0766_Anza-Borrego_TamariskGrove |
| © 2023 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Black-Chinned Hummingbird(Archilochus alexandri) |
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Description: Black-Chinned Hummingbirds migrate though south Texas, and the National Butterfly Center puts up feeders for their sugary jet-fuel needs. |
Date Taken: 2022:09:24 18:25 |
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Location:
National Butterfly Center |
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Camera Information: NIKON D850, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/640 |
File Name: BlackChinnedHummingbird_8506071-NationalButterflyCenter |
| © 2022 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Black-Chinned Hummingbird(Archilochus alexandri) |
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Description: Black-Chinned Hummingbirds migrate though south Texas, and the National Butterfly Center puts up feeders for their sugary jet-fuel needs. |
Date Taken: 2022:09:24 18:18 |
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Location:
National Butterfly Center |
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Camera Information: NIKON D850, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/3200 |
File Name: BlackChinnedHummingbird_8506049-NationalButterflyCenter |
| © 2022 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Black-Chinned Hummingbird(Archilochus alexandri) |
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Description: Hummingbirds were scarce in south Texas this winter, but I enjoyed meeting this bird at the feeders in Bentsen RGV SP. The mercury rose to 30°F this morning from 22°F yesterday in south Texas. I had camped only a mile-and-a-half from Bentsen Rio Grande Valley State Park, so despite the cold, I ventured out for a couple of hours, until my hands began complaining of the low temperature. |
Date Taken: 2021:02:16 12:37 |
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Location:
Bentsen RGV State Park |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/500 |
File Name: BlackChinnedHummingbird_D5X2360-Bentsen-RGV-SP |
| © 2021 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
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