Doug

I did not know that the rapid drumming is a form of comunication and not for excavating or dining.

There don't seem to be any significant differences from other birds that various other birds also have with each other.  The many variations within Aves showcase just how well birds have evolved the variously take care of their various needs.

I live in the SF Bay area.  We commonly have Ann'a at our feeder's and occasionally see Allen's and Rufous in the area.  Recently saw Rufous in Alaska.  My first experience with a hummingbird was at a friend's house in La Jolla, near San Diego., let alone differentiate  We were able to corral it and get it outside unharmed.  This was long ago and none of us even knew about different species.   A number of years ago my wife and I were at a desert zoo near Palm Springs.  My wife was wearing a bright red shirt with a flower print. Not sure of the species but i think it was a Costa's.  It approached my wife's shirt as if to feed at the flowers but it realized its mistake and buzzed off.

@Patience

• I was most surprised by the fact that some eat fish as well. I also did not know about the different foot types and that they did  no t have full binocular vision

I've seen and heard Great Horned Owls twice in the East Bay, including owl  These were both at dusk . i was lucky enough to see one  on the park behind UCSF.  In Cuba we heard an Cuban pygmy owl duringnthe evening and saw one popping out of the top of  snag during the day.  We were also fortunate to spot a Stygian owl during the day.  Each siting was with a guide.