These birds live and breed in the Los Alamos, NM area in summer. Some of them are seen mainly in spring and fall and are more secretive during the nesting season.
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Chipping Sparrow
A summer backyard bird in many areas including Los Alamos. In the summer has chestnut cap, white eyebrow and black eyeline.
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Warbling Vireo
Plain but musical. This vireo is often high in the trees. The white eyebrow is obvious but the darker line through the eye is less obvious.
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House Wren
Fussing in brushpiles and singing in the trees, the wren is common in the canyon and in backyards.
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Lesser Goldfinch
Common summer visitor that is attracted to thistle seed. They hang around all day if thistle seed is present at a feeder.
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Hermit Thrush
Attracted to the water garden where it hops around the shrubs nearby. They are seen primarily during the spring and fall migration, but may also spend the summer in the area.
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Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Spends the summer in Los Alamos and can be observed flitting about scrub oak and juniper.
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Black Phoebe (rare)
Found near the Rio Grande or other marshy areas.
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Violet-green Swallow
Very common in the summer performing aerial acrobatics over the canyons.
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Black-chinned Hummingbird
Seen in large numbers during the summer if hummingbird feeders and flowers are present.
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Broad-tailed Hummingbird
Seen in large numbers during the summer if hummingbird feeders and flowers are present.
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Rufous Hummingbird, Selasphorus rufus
9 - 10 cm. The male Rufous Hummingbird is the only N. American hummer with a total rufous back and copper colored throat. The female is green above with a rufous tinge on her rump and flanks, and much rufous in her tail. Their voice is an abrupt, high-pitched zeee with various thin squealing notes. Its habitat is mountain meadows and forest edges. These miniature birds are able to store up enough energy in fat to successfully migrate hundreds of miles from as far north as Alaska all the way south to Mexico. The first hummingbird to discover a food source defends it. Even after being satiated, it will perch on a nearby branch and intercept intruders in air with its angry buzzing. In a dive, they can beat their wings up to 200 times per second. You can put out a feeder in early spring, and fill it with one part sugar dissolved in 4 parts water (no honey). They consume nectar at 13 licks per second! When empty, rinse your feeder with hot water and little bit of vinegar.
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Calliope Hummingbird (rare)
The smallest hummingbird in North America. Can be seen during spring and fall migration. The picture is of the female. Similar to rufous female but smaller, shorter bill, dots on the breast, and a little rust at the base of the breast. The male calliope (not pictured) has smeary magenta stripes on the throat.
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Yellow-rumped Warbler, Dendroica coronata
13 - 15 cm. The male breeding Yellow-rumped Warbler, also known as "Audubon's Warbler", is a dull bluish above streaked with black, and its breast and flanks are blackish. It also has a yellow throat and large white patches in its folded wings. This warbler inhabits coniferous and mixed forests. They sing from the high canopy of the forest. Its song is a colorless buzzy warble with a sharp chek. The birds constantly chirp a "contact call" that keeps the flock together. It is widespread during migration and in winter. It lays 4 or 5 white eggs spotted and splotched with brown in a conifer tree in a bulky nest of twigs and rootlets lined with hair and feathers.
They visit the water garden during the spring, summer and fall.
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MacGillivray's warbler (rare)
Often found in marshy areas and can be found near the Los Alamos reservoir. They will also visit water gardens.
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Orange-crowned Warbler
They visit the water garden during spring, summer and fall and can be seen hopping around shrubs.
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Virginia's Warbler
They visit the water garden during spring, summer and fall and can be seen hopping around shrubs.
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Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Hyperactive, tiny bird that commonly hops around the shrubs in our yard during the spring, summer and fall.
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Lazuli Bunting (rare)
A beautiful neotropical migrant. Most common bunting of the area. The sky-blue male has a rust chest, white wing bars, and white belly. More iridescent, bright blue as compared to blue birds. Most commonly seen along the Rio Grande but can visit feeders and water gardens during the spring and fall migration.
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Indigo Bunting (rare)
A beautiful neotropical migrant. Indigo buntings summer almost statewide in riparian habitats. They have been rarely observed in Los Alamos and White Rock during the spring migration. They are attracted to water gardens. The brilliantly plumaged males are a sight to see. These birds are far more common in the east coast.
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Lazuli x Indigo Bunting hybrid (very rare)
This beauty has features of Lazuli (turquoise, slight white wing bar, slight rust) but also Indigo (more blue, richer blue, etc). Apparently, hybrids in this area do occur since Indigos have a hard time finding other Indigos. The hybrids have a mixture of Lazuli and Indigo charactersitics. All Lazulis, even juveniles, should have a strong white wing bar, while the hybrid doesn't. The hybrid also has a lot more blue all over the body (like the Indigo).
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