Anna's Hummingbird - Calypte anna

Although Anna's Hummingbirds are very common in Southern California, it is very seldom that you see the gorgeous gorget of the male. It was sheer serendipity that I saw one at the San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary. For the full story please visit my other blog: Anna's Hummingbird

Anna's Hummingbirds range throughout the Pacific Coast of the United States. They are the most common hummingbird one will encounter in this area. They readily come to hummingbird feeders and even cultivated gardens. They are mostly green and grey but the adult male when seen in the right light shows off an iridescent reddish pink gorget.

Anna's Hummingbird - Calypte anna
San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary, Irvine, California
January 19, 2009

Canon 40D, 300mm+1.4X, handheld
ISO-400, f5.6, 1/160

Flame-colored Tanager - Piranga bidentata

We were at Madera Kubo enjoying the hospitality of Cora Lansky. Cora, a Filipina married to a retired U.S. Navy man, owns this beautiful B & B in Southeastern Arizona. Cora was telling us about the birds that frequently visit the feeders that she placed around their inn. "We have a Flame-colored Tanager that comes to the feeder everyday", she told us. My wife and I almost fell from our seats as we implored her to show us this rarity. Cora took us to feeders at the side of their building where a tiny stream flows. "There!" she smiled as she pointed to the bright orange bird.

Flame-colored Tanagers are rare visitors to Southeast Arizona and Southwestern Texas. These are tropical birds that ranges from Mexico to Panama. Like the other species in the Tanager family, they are brightly-colored birds that prefer pine oak and conifer forests.

Flame-colored Tanager - Piranga bidentata
Madera Canyon, Arizona
July 4, 2008

Canon 40D, 500mm+1.4X (700mm) on a tripod
ISO-1600, 1/500, f8