Calliopes For Spring

There were at least 18 individual Calliope Hummingbirds reported in Sacramento County this April through eBird. As a comparison, in the previous four Aprils there were between two and eight reported. Calliopes are fairly rare migrants (or at least rarely found) in the Valley and appear to be found slightly more often from Fair Oaks east than on the flats of the Valley. They breed in the Sierra and elsewhere in the western mountains. Away from feeders, they have been reported several times feeding on wild radish as well as blooming locust trees. One can only speculate whether the increased numbers this April were from people staying local and watching their feeders, or if there really was an increase of North America's smallest hummingbird passing through our neighborhoods. My guess is that it was a combination of the two.