Calliope Hummingbird - Ontario First Record

This first year male Calliope Hummingbird, aka "Gem" is coming to a feeder at the home of Linda Johnston in Goderich, Ontario. It is a first record for Ontario so is attracting a big crowd. Calliope Hummingbird account in The Birds of North America online states that it is the smallest bird in North America and "is the smallest long-distance avian migrant in the world" travelling up to 9,000 km annually. 20 November 2018.

Please see video of Gem feeding and resting

Hummingbird expert Sherri Williamson and Kenn Kaufman have identified it as a Calliope. Sherri Williamson said: "male Calliope by the broad, curved outer primaries, evenly graduated widths of the inner primaries, and heavy bronze green 'five o'clock shadow' with a few adult gorget feathers coming in along the lower margin." Also per Glenn Coady: "incredibly short tail with thick curved blunt-tipped primaries extending well beyond the tail tip" and "very minor white tips to R3s (=must be a male)." Goderich, Ontario on 20 November 2018.

Home-owner Linda Johnson with the help of friends has built a shelter with a hanging heat lamp. Here it is roosting on the rungs underneath the lamp- that's why the colours are off. Goderich, Ontario on 20 November 2018.

Linda Johnson's veranda where a heat lamp hangs above two hummingbird feeders on the left. The shelter is to the left again behind and to the right of the spruce tree, which also helps shelter it. Goderich, Ontario on 20 November 2018.

Gem's Guardians: Liz Black-Petrie, Deb Johnston and home-owner Linda Johnston are doing an amazing job of welcoming visitors and taking care of "Gem", the name given by Linda Johnston. Goderich, Ontario on 20 November 2018.