[Douglbirds] Cool Morning Hummingbirds

[Kirk Huffstater - Creative Gardenscapes]

With the cool, wet weather this morning, my hummingbird feeders are busier than normal.  I've seen at least 3 male & 2 female Broad-tailed Hummingbirds, which are in abundance all summer.  New this morning, or maybe because I've been studying them a bit more closely today, I've also seen 1 male & 1 female Calliope Hummingbird.  The male Calliope is relatively easy to ID, once it is motionless enough, with the beautifully streaked gorget.  However, the female Calliope is so similar to the female Broad-taileds, that I'm making the call on that one based on the overall smaller size, shorter bill, and primaries that extend well past the tip of the tail while sitting on the feeder.  Does anyone know if these are good enough field marks to make the positive ID on the female Calliope, or could the bird be an immature Broad-tailed?  At one point, a female Broad-tailed and the female Calliope were sitting across from each other on the same feeder, so I could compare them quite well.

No Rufous hummers yet at my house (at least that I've seen), and I've never seen a Black-chinned here, although I've seen them not far away in Louviers & Deckers.  I typically get the Rufous around mid-summer, so maybe they're just a little later arriving at my house than at others' houses that I've seen posted.

Good Birding,

Kirk Huffstater
4 miles west of Castle Rock, CO
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