giant bumblebee? hawk moth?

I was sitting on the front deck taking a break from my morning walk when a large insect came up below me -- right by the deck and not even a foot off the ground. It paused for just a moment to pick off some insects and then moved on, not even giving me enough time to get my binoculars up. But it was so close that I could see that it was darkish above (brownish cap and back) and lighter below (face and underparts) with a long probiscus and a helicopter flight. Giant bumblebee? No way. Hawk Moth? Not likely. Hawk Moths fly at night, are nectar feeders and don't show contrast between the upper and lower parts. Why did I even think it was a giant insect? It was, of course, a hummingbird but seen from an angle that one doesn't often see hummingbirds. In fact, I don't think I've ever seen a hummingbird so close to the ground or so brownish looking (it was in shadow and I was looking down at it). Hummingbird colors -- even the back colors of a female -- can be difficult to see if the light is not good.

A female hummingbird feeding on insects a few inches off the ground is what it was. This is the second time, I've seen a female hummingbird in front of the house in the past few days. Female hummingbirds take insects for protein when they are in nesting mode -- even when there are flowers nearby (a small Black Cherry in full bloom) -- and it leads to the possibility that there is nesting somewhere nearby.

Crows make an awful racket when I walk down to the water. I suspect that there are nests down there with growing nestlings due to fledge fairly soon. In the meanwhile, the Fish Crows seem to have abandoned their nest and moved away; occasionally I hear their calls distantly coming from Bay Avenue on the other side of the property; perhaps they will try again in another spot.

No sign of the Canada Warbler today but the Yellow Warbler is back at the head of the marsh right on schedule.

Eric Salzman