Back in the latter half of June, the regular Rufous Hummingbirds so commonly seen at our feeders in Scappoose, Oregon were joined by a somewhat larger male Anna’s Hummingbird. The Anna’s male is characterized by a gorget (the colorful and flashy feathers that cover the throat area of the males of many of the different hummingbird species seen in the U.S.) the color of which extends all the way over the face and onto the top of the head.
In full sunlight the colorful facial feathers of the male Anna’s Hummingbird can be so bright that it appears to glow with a vivid dark pink to reddish purple light. However, as can be seen in the image captured by the BirdCam while the bird was feeding and not in direct sunlight, the feathers are actually a dark reddish-brown. The bright color is caused by their being iridescent and highly diffractive of certain wavelengths of visible light. More interesting information about hummingbirds and how to photograph them using the Wingscapes BirdCam can be found in “All About Hummingbirds.”
I have rufous, annas, allens and black chinned also at our feeder in S. California. I love watching them. Do you have a live webcam on the internet someplace? i'd love to watch it if you do.
Posted by: Birdwatcher(Stephanie) | August 02, 2008 at 04:42 PM