Hummingbird Trifecta, Plus an Unexpected Rarity, Athens, Georgia, November 28, 2021

One of the first things I do each morning is to turn on my computer and check my Needs Alerts for nearby states.  In the GA Needs Alert I look for records from counties in the northeast corner of the state which are closest to home.  But there are few birders in that part of GA so most days no records pop up.  That was once again the case on the morning of the 27th. 

But then I noticed that there were 3 rare hummingbird species being reported in Clarke County – Black-chinned, Calliope, and Rufous.  I had no idea where Clarke County was, but that would certainly be enough justification for a chase, if it was only close enough.  With a quick search I realized Clarke was the county surrounding Athens, GA – roughly a 2 1/2 hour drive.  That’s a bit farther than my normal 2-hour drive limit, but with 3 rarities in the area, it was certainly worth the try. 

Though the trip would only be worthwhile if I could find information on locations and procedures for seeing the birds.  I first researched the Calliope and found that the bird had actually spent most of last winter at that location as well, so it seemed that this bird might be quite reliable.  I first looked through recent eBird reports but found no details.  So I then looked at the reports from when it first appeared last year and found directions for viewing – text the homeowner in advance and she would unlock the backyard gate to let you in.  So I texted the homeowner and she almost instantly replied and invited me to see her bird the next morning.  But, she mentioned the Calliope was most reliable before 9 AM so she suggested I try for it before the other hummers.

Then it was on to the Black-chinned.  The bird first appeared on 11/10, but had only become a daily visitor starting on the 19th.  Reports came in throughout the day so it seemed pretty reliable.  And with just a bit of hunting I found an eBird post that provided the viewing protocol – no need to contact the owner in advance, and viewing was from the driveway with feeders in the front yard.  That sounded pretty easy.

But the Rufous was more challenging.  Only one eBird post included what was apparently the address, but none provided access details.  So I reached back out to the Calliope homeowner to see if she knew the details on the Rufous.  Luckily she did, and sent me the contact information of the Rufous homeowner, Vince Howard.  I texted Vince and he was very obliging, inviting me to his backyard the next morning.  The complication was that his bird was almost never seen past 8 AM. 

So with quite a bit of effort I had obtained the protocols for seeing each bird, and had gotten the needed permission.  Now I needed to figure out the order to try for them.  Although all 3 are rarities, the Calliope and Black-chinned are certainly much rarer, so those should be my highest priority.  And since the Calliope had been around the longest (both this winter and last), maybe the newcomer Black-chinned should be my first priority.  Now I needed to factor in the most reliable times to see each bird.  The Rufous was only reliably seen before 8, Calliope before 9, and Black-chinned all day.  With all those datapoints I decided to try for the Calliope first, then the Black-chinned, and the Rufous last.  I knew that would greatly reduce my chances for the Rufous, but I figured there could always be other Rufous Hummingbirds I could chase in GA in the future.

The last issue that crossed my mind was how long to wait for each hummer to appear.  With multiple target birds, you never know if waiting longer for an earlier target increases your odds for seeing that one, or just diminishes your odds for seeing later ones.  I decided to cross that bridge when I came to it.

With my strategy all set to try for the 3 rare hummingbirds, I then checked to see if there were other birds I might need that had been seen recently nearby.  With a bit of research it seemed my most likely nearby opportunities could be Vesper and White-crowned Sparrows.  Both species had been seen about 20 minutes to the west of Athens at the Robertson Bridge Road hotspot, though the sightings were about 2 weeks old.  But since I would be in the area, and likely done looking for hummingbirds in the morning (regardless of whether I was successful), it still seemed to be worth the try.  My plans were set!

I was out of the house the next morning at 5 AM – even earlier than I planned.  And with few cars on the road I made great time getting to Athens.  I pulled into the Calliope spot at 7:40, and quickly made my way to the back yard.  The first thing I spotted as I walked into the yard was a beautiful pineapple sage plant covered in red tubular flowers.  Not surprisingly this was reported to be a favorite of the Calliope.  I walked to the area under the deck, the recommended viewing spot, and started my vigil.  Not 2 minutes later I noticed movement and there was the little hummingbird perched in a bush next to the sage.  It was facing me giving great views of his beautiful gorget.  That was easy!

My statebird map for Calliope Hummingbird is inserted below.  The blue states are those where I’ve seen this species in its regular range; the cross-hatched states are those where I still need it.  And the 6 brown states are those where I’ve seen Calliope as a rarity.

 Although I wanted to stay longer, I had other hummingbirds to chase after.  So I only stayed for a couple more minutes before heading back to the car.  And just 10 minutes later, by 8:00, I was at the residence where the immature Black-chinned was being seen.  The protocol here was to stand on the driveway and watch the feeders in the front yard.  Plus the day before the hummer was spotted at the top of the crepe myrtle which apparently was one of its favorite perches.  When I arrived the homeowner was out filling his birdbath.  He said he had already seen it that morning, and said it was really only reliable from 8 to 9.  Good thing I got there early.  I settled in watching a few birds coming and going and then within 5 minutes spotted my target bird fly into the top of the crepe myrtle.  It sat there for at least a minute giving good views of its long and slightly decurved bill, and slightly curved folded wing.  Then if flew off to the north chipping along the way.  GA is now my second state (after CT) seeing Black-chinned as a rarity.

Two down and one to go, though I wasn’t terribly optimistic about the Rufous.  I arrived at 8:20 and was joined by Vince in his backyard to watch for his hummingbird.  He had seen and photographed the Rufous that morning before 8, but true to form had not seen it since then.  There were many birds at his feeding station including 2 nice Orange-crowned Warblers.  But there were no hummingbird visits at the feeder.  Then again at one point I thought I saw a hummingbird fly by - maybe that was just wishful thinking.  It was now 9:15 and I was starting to wonder how much longer I should wait.  And just then I looked back at the feeder and there was the Rufous feeding.  It drank for at least a minute, giving me views of its green back and closed tail.  Then it was off in a flash.  Although I would have liked to have seen its rufous flanks and gorget, I was happy to have just seen it so late in the morning.  Here is one of Vince’s pictures he took that morning through his window.

I’ve now seen Rufous Hummingbird in each southeast state but MS where it is now a regular wintering species.  Along with 7 northeast states where it is still considered a true rarity.

Three for three rare hummingbirds in one county all within 2 hours – a hummingbird trifecta.  And to think just a day earlier I didn’t even realize they were being seen there.  I obviously have to add Clarke County to the list of GA counties in which to search for new GA statebirds.

But my birding day wasn’t over yet.  It was only 9:30 when I left the Rufous location, so that gave me plenty of time to head to Robertson Bridge Road to look for some sparrows.  This hotspot was a narrow dirt road that winds through cattle pastures, with low shrubs along most of the roadsides.  It certainly looked good for sparrows.  I parked my car near the north end and started birding the road on foot.  I soon ran into a White-throat and several Songs, but sparrows were scarce.  Then I noticed a large blackbird flock in one pasture and with a quick view realized they were mostly Rusty’s.  I guessed at least 75 birds, along with 50 Starlings and few Red-wings.  They later perched in nearby trees along Barber Creek and then flew off. 

I then looked back into the pasture and spotted two blackbirds near some cattle.  With binocular views I could see they were all dark, and quite shiny.  Brewer’s perhaps?  I raced back to the car to get the scope, and then with scope views could see they were very iridescent and glossy despite the cloudy weather conditions, with medium length tails.  Brewer’s Blackbirds indeed!  I always think Brewer’s males look like miniature grackles – very glossy but lacking the long tail.  That was an unexpected surprise – not a huge rarity but still requiring details in eBird.  GA is my third southeast state (after NC and SC) where I’ve added this species since moving to the area.

What a great morning!  The hummingbird trifecta plus an unexpected rarity brings my GA statelist to 257.  Certainly made the 4:30 AM wake-up call worthwhile.