[obol] Fwd: David Irons hybrid hummer

Tue Apr 22 16:08:28 PDT 2008

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH--please stop sending these dozens of emails!! I really enjoyed the RARE obol, NOT this many, please, someone, stop this madness!!
Thank you,

Patricia Allene Atkins, 
Realtor, GRI,CRS
(541) 913-9257 
<em>I am honored by your referring my services to your family, friends and associates</em>.

----- Original Message ----
From: DAVID IRONS <llsdirons at msn.com>
To: Jim Norton <jimnorton at jimnorton.org>; obol at oregonbirdwatch.org
Sent: Tuesday, April 22, 2008 2:24:20 PM
Subject: Re: [obol] Fwd: David Irons hybrid hummer

Greetings All,

If you have not taken the opportunity to look at Peter Patricelli's images of the Anna's X Rufous Hummingbird that is currently at Skinner Butte, I encourage you do so.  They are amazing and I think conclusively document that this bird is a hybrid of the species mentioned above.  There is the slightest chance that the Selasphorus half of this equation is Allen's rather than Rufous.  However, since Anna's and Rufous both nest at Skinner Butte and Allen's range ends nearly 150 miles from here, I think we are safe in presuming that the bird the Selasphorus input is from a Rufous hummer.  The display flight pattern is suggestive of Rufous and does not have any of the elements that would suggest Allen's.

Now that Anna's (a notorious intergenus breeder) is a common nesting species here, this might be a cross to start looking for.  Superficially, this bird and the bird Larry McQueen photographed several years ago give the initial impression of an Anna's.  However, both bird have substantial rufous in the tail, some rufous wash on the flanks, particularly the upper flanks in front of the shoulder, and some rufous feathering on the rump and upper tail coverts.  The back, nape and crown (aside from the forecrown) is green.  Both birds have shown some iridescent feathers above the base of the bill, but these feathers do not extend nearly as far back on the crown as in a typical Anna's.

I want to publicly thank Peter for coming out to help document this incredibly rare hybrid.  The images that the rest of us have would have done the job, but they are no longer needed.

Dave Irons
Eugene, OR

________________________________
Date: Tue, 22 Apr 2008 12:05:55 -0700
From: jimnorton at jimnorton.org
To: obol at oregonbirdwatch.org
Subject: [obol] Fwd: David Irons hybrid hummer

David and I and a bunch of other OBOL'ers braved the parking lot cleaning curse at Skinner's Butte Park this morning to try and get the best possible pics of his hybrid hummer.  

The bird cooperated.  We have 140+ shots to choose from.  David will have to process them and pick out which ones demonstrate the hybrid features best, but I rushed this one shot onto my website. 

http://www.flyfishingfotography.com/atest_slideshow_002.htm

I suspect we will set up a folder of the best shots.

Peter Patricelli
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