mjm@oliven.olivetti.com (Michael Mammoser) (11/11/89)
While talking to our American Birds subregional editor earlier in the week, I learned of a Costa's Hummingbird that had been seen at a local park in the city of Mountain View. So I decided to visit the park at lunch on Wednesday. When I got there, I headed for the play- ground because the bird was supposed to be around the jungle gym. The playground was surrounded by flowering Eucalyptus trees and was crawling with hummers. I could hear about 3 or 4 Anna's Hummers singing in the trees around me and estimated that there was twice that number in total. It was difficult to get a good look at them because they hid well in the trees or were chasing each other around at about mach 1. I spent the better part of an hour there getting what looks I could and watching the Yellow-Rumped Warblers feeding in the Eucalyptus. Then this guy that I knew stopped by (turns out that he lived a couple of blocks away and was the one who found the Costa's) and asked me if I wanted to go for a ride a couple of blocks away. He took me to an apartment complex and showed me a Merlin sitting in a tree. It was a male of the pale Richardson's race, and we stood below it for a few minutes watching while it perched contentedly. Its light blue back and upperwings contrasted with the dark wing tips, and its very pale head showed no obvious whisker mark. On the way back to the park I learned where the Costa's liked to perch and, on arriving, immediately began to scan that tree. No sooner did I do this when a hummer flew out and started feeding on the Eucalyptus blossoms over my head. When I trained the binoculars on it, its dark purple gorget and flaring sideburns told me that it was the one I had come looking for. I watched it for about 30 seconds until it flew to the other side of the tree, and I decided that I had to go back to work. Even though I had nothing to eat, I couldn't help thinking that there was no better way to spend a lunch hour. Mike