Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Rattlers to Hummers: A Cautionary 'Tail' & Prelude to a New Season of Hummers


Last summer I was at the mouth of Grove Creek Canyon in Pleasant Grove, Utah attempting to get some photos of hummingbirds.  I would have been thrilled to see Calliope and Rufous hummers, but in the end I only heard Broad-tailed and saw lots of Black-chinned. I'll share some of my favorite hummingbird images from various outings at the end of my post, but I want to share a story and a caution, first, as we head into the warmer season for some parts of the globe.

On my way down the trail to the parking lot I was scrolling through some of the images I had just captured on the display of my camera when I nearly stepped on a Great Basin Rattlesnake which was lazily sprawling across the trail in front of me. I've never encountered a rattlesnake in such a way so I stopped immediately and did a quick look at the head (definitely triangular in shape) then followed the length of its body to confirm there was indeed a rattle on the tip of the tail. I kept my distance and observed an awesome yet potentially lethal product of nature. The sound of its rattle was much more rapid and higher pitched than I expected. Had I not seen the snake when I heard its rattle I probably would have written it off as a noisy grasshopper rapidly clicking its wings as it flew.

I shutter to think of what would have happened had I taken the next step without seeing the snake. Be careful out there as spring and summer advance. Some of nature's critters can be harmful to your health if you don't give them the space they need. I should have been paying attention to the trail and not the camera while moving. That's kind of like texting and driving--not wise.  I hope it is a good reminder for us as we explore fields, rivers, trails, etc. in our search for birds over the coming months.

Here are images of the snake that became a part of that particular bird outing:


Great Basin Rattlesnake at Grove Creek Canyon in Pleasant Grove, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Great Basin Rattlesnake at Grove Creek Canyon in Pleasant Grove, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Great Basin Rattlesnake at Grove Creek Canyon in Pleasant Grove, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Tail of Great Basin Rattlesnake at Grove Creek Canyon in Pleasant Grove, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Great Basin Rattlesnake at Grove Creek Canyon in Pleasant Grove, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)


Great Basin Rattlesnake at Grove Creek Canyon in Pleasant Grove, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

This is a birding blog so here are some of my favorite hummingbird images to qualify this an actual birding post. It's a sort of prelude to a new season of Hummingbirds for those of us living a little farther north. One of my goals this year is to get some fun action shots of hummers, especially species not included in these images. I welcome input on the IDs if you feel I've confused some, especially female species that can appear similar (e.g. Broad-tailed and Rufous).

Male Rufous Hummingbird at Lava Point Campground in Washington County, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Male Broad-tailed Hummingbird in Tabiona, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)
The following image helped me confidently identify my lifer Calliope Hummingbird. It was mixed with Broad-tailed and Black-chinned Hummingbirds in the mountains above Utah County. It's not the unmistakable adult male Calliope, but what I like about the image is being able to see some of the conclusive identifiers for a juvenile/female Calliope: Short, thin bill; thin white line over gape; wingtips reaching right at/just beyond tip of tail; and, those distinctive little peanut shaped central tail feathers. This image was captured in August so that is why I am not sure if it is an male or female, but my best guess is adult female.

(My Lifer) Female/Juvenile Calliope Hummingbird Along Timpooneke Trail in Utah County, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Male Broad-tailed Hummingbird in American Fork Canyon Utah County, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Male Rufous Hummingbird in American Fork Canyon Utah County, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)
I was also able to capture an image of my first adult male Calliope Hummingbird during a trip to the small town of Tabiona, Utah. The lighting wasn't ideal, but I enjoyed seeing and photographing the dintinctly streaked gorget displayed by the adult male Calliope.

Male Calliope Hummingbird in Tabiona, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Male Calliope Hummingbird in Tabiona, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)
Male Calliope Hummingbird Tabiona, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Female Broad-tailed Hummingbird in American Fork Canyon Utah County, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

The Tail of a Male Broad-tailed Hummingbird in American Fork Canyon Utah County, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)


Broad-tailed Hummingbird at Grove Creek Canyon Pleasant Grove, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)


Male Broad-tailed Hummingbird American Fork Canyon Utah County, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Male Broad-tailed Hummingbird Pleasant Grove, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Male Rufous Hummingbird in Tabiona, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)
Female Anna's Hummingbird Chandler, AZ (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Subadult Male Rufous Hummingbird Tonaquint Park St. George, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)


Female Ruby-throated Hummingbird Lexington, KY (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Subadult Male Black-chinned Hummingbird Tonaquint Park St. George, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Male Ruby-throated Hummingbird Lexington, KY (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Female Rufous Hummingbird Pleasant Grove, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Male Broad-tailed Hummingbird in Tabiona, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Male Rufous Hummingbird at Lava Point Campground in Washington County, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Male Rufous Hummingbird at Lava Point Campground in Washington County, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)
I've labeled the following as female Broad-tailed, but it does seem to have some rufous above the eye so I'd love to know if anyone thinks this one may be a female Broad-tailed.

Female Broad-tailed Hummingbird American Fork Canyon Utah County, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Male Rufous Hummingbird Pleasant Grove, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Male Black-chinned Hummingbird at Tonaquint Park St. George, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)


Subadult Male Broad-tailed Hummingbird at Tonaquint Park St. George, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

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