The Star of the Show

My good friend Susie Nishio, who like me loves to photograph birds, sent me an email two days ago that a Plain Capped Starthroat (hummingbird) had been seen at Patton's in Patagonia. So yesterday I headed out right after breakfast and after about an hour look who showed up:

Plain Capped Starthroat (female)

In the first photo you get a good look at the plumage. The metallic bronze on the wings and white on the back is very unique and very elegant. You can see the lightning bolt white streak on the head. In the second photo you got a nice look at the tail which is stunning. The Plain Capped Starthroat is quite large (5 inches) and dwarfs the other hummers. (the Blue Throat and Magnificent are also large but are usually found at higher elevations). At Paton's in Patagonia the other hummers were all in the 3.5 to 4.00 range, so it was easy to find him when he came by. He didn't stay long at the feeders. He went straight to a feeder, drank, and then immediately flew into a tree. The Plain Capped Starthroat feeds on both nectar and insects.