Humming bird

notso-quiet1

Last summer i seen what appeared to be a humming bird hovering over some flowers at home. it was going from flower to flower so i had a good chance to look at it through the window. it was brown, about the size of a large bee. its wings were going so fast you couldnt see them. it had a long beak going into the flowers which was the thickness of a piece if thread. it had beady black eyes and a black and white small (what i assume was a) tail. are there hummingbirds in ireland? and could that be what i saw? this was in meath

RaeRae

It wasn't a humming bird. Pretty certain it was a moth. I've seen them before and thought the same though.

But yeah, they do look like humming birds for sure! Big things.

Judgement Day

notso-quiet1 wrote: »

Last summer i seen what appeared to be a humming bird hovering over some flowers at home. it was going from flower to flower so i had a good chance to look at it through the window. it was brown, about the size of a large bee. its wings were going so fast you couldnt see them. it had a long beak going into the flowers which was the thickness of a piece if thread. it had beady black eyes and a black and white small (what i assume was a) tail. are there hummingbirds in ireland? and could that be what i saw? this was in meath

It was a Humming Bird Hawkmoth. See http://images.google.ie/imgres?imgurl=http://www.mothcount.brc.ac.uk/images/600x450/Humming-bird%2520Hawk-moth%2520(David%2520G.%2520Green).jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.mothcount.brc.ac.uk/moth_popup.aspx%3FSpeciesID%3D4&usg=__TZCnCWU8Ao2-RNGdxwxCEf3yGbA=&h=450&w=600&sz=51&hl=en&start=3&tbnid=26Ygq9J2fOlUkM:&tbnh=101&tbnw=135&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dhummingbird%2Bhawk%2Bmoth%26gbv%3D2%26hl%3Den

notso-quiet1

Judgement Day wrote: »

It was a Humming Bird Hawkmoth. See http://images.google.ie/imgres?imgurl=http://www.mothcount.brc.ac.uk/images/600x450/Humming-bird%2520Hawk-moth%2520(David%2520G.%2520Green).jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.mothcount.brc.ac.uk/moth_popup.aspx%3FSpeciesID%3D4&usg=__TZCnCWU8Ao2-RNGdxwxCEf3yGbA=&h=450&w=600&sz=51&hl=en&start=3&tbnid=26Ygq9J2fOlUkM:&tbnh=101&tbnw=135&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dhummingbird%2Bhawk%2Bmoth%26gbv%3D2%26hl%3Den

i did see that pic while trying to find it, but it really wasnt like that, it was quite sleek looking and a different shape with completely black little eyes oh and it didnt have antennae.

notso-quiet1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcZxxRPqryY this is pretty much what it looked like even tho its not a great vid

Alun

notso-quiet1 wrote: »

i did see that pic while trying to find it, but it really wasnt like that, it was quite sleek looking and a different shape with completely black little eyes oh and it didnt have antennae.

Regardless of that, there really are no hummingbirds in Ireland, or anywhere in Europe for that matter. They only live in the Americas.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hummingbird#Range

littlebug

I'm pretty sure that's a hummingbird hawk moth in that youtube clip.

notso-quiet1

ok. thanks for replys

Alun

littlebug wrote: »

I'm pretty sure that's a hummingbird hawk moth in that youtube clip.

It has to be, as I said above, there are no humming birds in Europe!

Mothman

littlebug wrote: »

I'm pretty sure that's a hummingbird hawk moth in that youtube clip.

Yes it certainly is.
There has been a resonable influx of Hummingbird Hawk-moths this year with reports country wide. The influx from northern Africa.
Very few last year when OP saw in Meath, mainly SE, but I did receive records from Meath and Louth.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Hi Mothman,
I saw 4 in Louth in June.

Nothingcompares

i saw one in north county dublin on 3rd july 2009

Run_to_da_hills

I use to see humming birds in Sandiiego California, the weather there is extremly hot. I didnt see any in the northern part of the state. The are not much bigger than a large bumble bee and are very spactualr to look at, they hover over flowers.

Alun

Run_to_da_hills wrote: »

I use to see humming birds in Sandiiego California, the weather there is extremly hot. I didnt see any in the northern part of the state. The are not much bigger than a large bumble bee and are very spactualr to look at, they hover over flowers.

They go all the way up as far as southern Alaska I understand.

I've seen them in Washington (state that is, not DC!) in the Olympia National Park in spring. One place we stayed in, a big lodge on the shores of Crescent Lake had humming bird feeders all around the windows of the dining room, so you could watch them feeding while you were having your breakfast, fantastic!

Mollywolly

I had a hummingbird hawk moth in my garden this morning. I wondered what the hell it was because it was feeding on honeysuckle and was darting around so fast. I ran in to get the camera to take a pic but it had gone by the time I got back Thankfully my old mate google helped me identify it. Absolutely beautiful and I'll be keeping my eyes peeled in case it comes back.

I saw one on my neighbours elderflower tree. They are a great sighting, My ma was convinced it was a hummingbird.

Mothman

To all the mentions of sightings above.
Would you forward details by PM and I'll update atlas on Mothsireland.

Details needed, are date (approximate will do), location including grid reference. Use www.gridreference.ie , observer name (I can put anonymous if necessary) and numbers seen.

The above applies to all Irish moth records.

Cheers

MM