My black-chinned hummingbird has departed. He’s been gone for over three weeks, which means he’s probably gone until next spring.
This year he showed up at 7:09 p.m. on Sunday, March 23. I was very relieved because for three years straight, he had arrived like clock-work on March 17, St. Patrick’s Day. I was beginning to think he would not arrive at all. But all’s well that ends well, and I decided the hummer wasn’t Irish after all, but just happened to arrive on that date.
Now I have a new worry – when will the first warblers put in an appearance? Especially, when will the yellow-rumped warbler show up? This little bird is also fondly referred to as the butter-butt. Not very dignified perhaps, but certainly descriptive. This is a large bird, about six inches long and as the name implies, it has a bright lemon-yellow spot on its rump. In breeding plumage, it also has colors of slate blue, yellow, black and white – a most handsome bird.
