[SBB] Bullock's dominates Hooded

[Rick Herder <[[email protected]]>]

At our hummingbird feeder in the Jackson Oaks neighborhood of Morgan
Hill, a few hundred feet above the valley floor, we've had Bullock's
and Hooded Orioles coming to our feeders for 10 years.   Until this
year Bullock's have been very casual feeders, and we've noticed them
just a few times a week.   This year we have a pair of each species
"sharing" the feeder, along with Anna's and Rufous Hummingbirds and
House Finches.   We have the feeder in a fig tree that is still mostly
bare.   The 2 pairs come often now - several times an hour - and we
also see them in the yard carrying nesting material.  When both pairs
are present, the Hoodeds sit at the top of the tree and wait for the
Bullock's both to finish feeding and fly off, then they swoop in.  
Rufous chases Anna's away, but both hummers disappear when the orioles
or finches show up.   The finches don't seem to care who's around -
they're hard to scare away.

Brown-headed cowbirds have also returned.  A few years ago we had a
pathetic situation, when we watched a half-grown cowbird chick
following a male Hooded Oriole, constantly squawking and holding its
mouth open (but showing no interest in the feeder).  Maybe it was my
imagination, but that oriole sure looked harried and harassed.  This
went on for at least two weeks.

I've tried to figure out if we have the same Rufous hummer(s)
returning to the feeder but haven't been successful.  I suspect we've
had several different birds passing through over the past several
weeks.  I've only detected males but haven't tried hard to identify
female selasphorus. I saw one male Rufous yesterday, but they are
getting scarcer lately.   I haven't noticed any green-backed birds,
and in the past Allen's have shown up in this neighborhood later in
the spring.

I heard my first Grosbeak here today.   I've heard Pacific-Slope
Flycatchers in the neighborhood for two weeks.  We still have Siskins
- I saw a group of four in a cluster of birches with Lesser
Goldfinches this morning.  I last saw Red-breasted Nuthatches in the
neighborhood on 3/16 (the same day I first saw a Bullock's Oriole here
this spring).  Still waiting for our almost annual visits by Western
Tanagers and Townsend's Warblers.   Suddenly we have no Yellow-rumped
Warblers around - wonder if they're gone for the season?
-- 
Rick Herder
Morgan Hill, California
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