I'm loving the British coverage of today's Saints-Chargers game in London. There's not much of it but what is out there is refreshing. This from Martin Johnson of the BBC:
I was trying to explain how the positions equate to our sport. As a game, generally it's all about territory. It's about control of the ball, scoring points, deception. In some ways it's very different. In some ways you can see the similarities.
Not sure if last week's Saints game was a harbinger of things to come but I'm not feeling good about today's game. The news about Deuce broke my heart. "Say it aint so, Joe" comes to mind. Good Luck, Deuce.
One from the CrabAppleLane backyard.
Unknown CrabAppleLane hummingbird - October 26, 2008
Hadn't seen any hummingbirds in a week so I had neglected the feeders for a couple of days. Was quite surprised and delighted to see this little fellow flitting and flying around. Not sure what kind it is. All I captured clearly was that bright orange bill and you can see the orange tinge to his fanned-out tail. His chatter is less squeaky than the ruby-throats and he's quite a bit more skittish. Hope to have a better one of him as the day goes on but I'm off to watch the Saints right now.
Quote of the Day
I'm sorry. That last hand ... nearly killed me.
James Bond, Casino Royale
Blog of the day here.
Quote from said blog: "Both teams are hoping for some good Karma since New York played there last year and then went on the claim the Super Bowl Championship title. Foe those Americans who are traveling across the sea to support their teams are in for a treat. Besides great football, there is so much more to do."
Glad you stopped by the library--the higher our stats, the better. ;) Your description of Casino Royale actually makes me want to see it. I have to admit, I kind of dropped out of Bond-world after Moonraker. Not that I didn't like Moonraker (I was young,) I just kind of lost interest in the franchise. Maybe I'll give it a shot again.
I've also heard recently that some of the typically Western hummingbirds have been venturing in our area lately. Perhaps this is one of those...
Can't swear about the bill but the tail suggests a rufous hummingbird to me. You lucky dog.
K-
Glad we could help, Lana. :) It's definitely a hummingbird that I haven't seen here before.
Kem,
That's what I thought, too, but the rufous hummingbirds that I've had here in the past were a lot more orange than this one. I think it could be either a buff-bellied hummingbird or a rufous hummingbird but I wish I could have gotten a better shot of it. I had three shots and this is the best of them. He/she would not stay still. Love the orange bill.
Buff-bellied hummingbird: http://www.hummingbirds.net/buffbellied.html
Rufous hummingbird: http://www.hummingbirds.net/rufous.html
Great picture. And the book picture seems to be a perfect match. What fun to have someone new to look at instead of the usual run of 30-40 fellows looking exactly the same. Just kidding. Everyone should have that joy. Sue and Janine and Katie all wish for a flock like yours.
The quantity and variety of the CrabAppleLane flock of birds would make anyone envious, Mom. It is one of our great joys. We are always, always grateful for it. The hummingbirds place a close second to the cardinals on my list of favorites but I'm afraid I can't spare any of them ... even for my sisters. :)
This is very cool. My NG4 says that buff-bellies are "green overall with buff belly and chestnut tail; bill pinkish-red with black tip. Range: Mexican species, fairly common in lower Rio Grande valley. Very rare in winter along Gulf Coast; casual to Florida." Both male and female rufous in NG4 lacks that red bill, which is clearly red in your photo. Can't really tell if the tail is rufous or chestnut. (I think of rufous as more orange and brighter than chestnut.) Coloring strongly suggests a buff-bellied but it's not winter. And they're very rare in LA. The female rufous is still a distinct possibility since I can't see the breast but the bill is wrong. Good call. Great birding puzzle.
K-