In the last week and a half the hummingbirds have returned to the San Pedro River Valley and are at the feeders at Down By The River B and B. So far most of the hummers are black-chin hummingbirds but I have spotted an Anna’s Hummingbird in the mix. The San Pedro area around St. David is a nursery for the black-chin and they spend all summer here nesting and raising the young. We have had a nest in the carport area a couple of times over the years and many times guests have never noticed that it was located atop one of the support posts under the roof cover.
Black-chin hummingbirds gather at the feeder for nectar
It won’t be too much longer and we will be getting rufous hummingbird that stop on their way to Alaska. We can always tell when the rufous are here. They will sit in a tree or other location that allows them to see all the feeders and they will run all the other hummingbirds away as they come toward the feeders. These black-chins do employ tactics sometimes or so it seems. The hummers will go in with multiple birds and some will get a drink of nectar while old man rufous is running another one off.
Our guests have spotted other species of hummingbirds on the patio while watching the black-chin, anna’s and the rufous. They have seen magnificent and calliopes at the feeders but these are rare occurrences. Last fall I got a picture of two Annas having a fight at the feeder. If you haven’t seen it when I posted it here is a link that will take you to the video. We also have the Gila Woodpecker raid the feeders and I have a blog on that too. The rufous will leave the woodpecker alone as he knows his limitations in that contest.
If you like to watch the hummingbirds and the woodpecker, then come on over to our San Pedro River BnB and relax on the patio while the action takes place in front of you. Sometimes if you wear red earrings or have a red flower shirt, a hummer will come right up to you to check it out. We have had hummers within inches of ears checking out a ruby. You may even want to enjoy some wine while you watch. Try some of the Arizona wines that are made in the area. We are located in St. David, AZ on the San Pedro River at the northern end of The San Pedro National Riparian Conservation Area. We are centralized with access to many of the Cochise County attractions with short day trips. That is why we are the Lodging Hub of Cochise County.