Calliope Hummingbird, Silver Creek, CA

I was very happy to come across a flashy little hummer this morning, just as the day was getting bright. It has established its territory just past the halfway point of my bird counts along Silver Creek and the alpine meadows through which it winds. This male Calliope Hummingbird seemed to be completely unindimidated by my presence in his territory as he regularly zipped from perch to perch, encircling a few patches of willow that had made a foothold in one of the many large meadows found along Silver Creek. This lovely location is accessed through the USMC Mountain Warfare Training Center off highway 108 east of Sonora Pass, the second-highest highway pass over the crest of the Sierra Nevada. While it is intimidating to drive through a military installation, Silver Creek is officially on US Forest Service land, and is accessible to the public. The unusual access point has definitely limited the amount of use it receives by the public, and the military training exercises are apparently not frequent enough to diminish this area's pristine quality. I had a very good time here.