Some of you have been asking about my binoculars on the introduction photo. They are special "green" binos which use long-life curlycue fluorescent light technology. As a birder I want to do my part for the environment and lighten things up. :)
First a special ID note: there is another species so similar barely anyone can tell which is which. Well the birds can of course. :) But the rest of us have to use cunning and deductive reasoning. So what is my first clue? They hang out in coastal chapparal. This one was in some really scruffy brush less than a mile from the Cardiff Kook. My second clue? There were about a dozen previous sightings right where I found it. That many birders couldn't all be wrong. :)
So, speaking of lightening things up, I took this first shot a couple of days ago on a very gray, overcast afternoon. I was pretty surprised by the result. Good thing I had my special binos. :)
Distinguishing marks: Coppery/reddish-orange gorget ; green back and nape; long, slightly curved beak. Pretty grumpy.
Boring Fact: You may know hummingbirds are the only bird that can truly hover. But did you know that to do that, their wings have to beat 50 or even 80 times a second? If that doesn't astonish you think of this: their hearts, while doing that, have to beat up to 1,200 times a minute. Can you imagine our hearts beating that fast? True, we'd probably do some impressive feats ourselves, but of course it would make it almost impossible to get life insurance. :)
What the heck is it?
