Our Ruby-throated Hummingbirds have been gone for almost a month now; the last we heard was seen around September 24th or so. So the report of a hummingbird on the Hudson-Mohawk Bird Club birdline certainly piqued my interest!
Local birding expert Rich Guthrie reported the sighting of a possible Rufous Hummingbird on October 24. He personally checked it out, then called in a licensed bander, and sure enough, it was confirmed that we have a female Rufous Hummingbird in our area! Be sure to read Rich's interesting post about Rufous Hummingbird sightings in the east and how hard these birds are to positively identify.
The homeowner was gracious about opening his property to observers and I had the opportunity to view the hummingbird today, October 25th. During the 20 minutes I was there, the hummingbird visited the feeder a number of times and perched from a couple favorite tree limbs.
She has been around since about the first week of October and has withstood temperatures as low as the upper 20s. While she was a joy to see, I hope she moves on soon before the temperatures dip much lower. Safe travels!
Another special thanks to the generous homeowner for sharing this special bird with all of us! Good thing he still had a filled, clean feeder out!
UPDATE NOVEMBER 5, 2010
A message from the homeowner where the rufuous was seen: "The little Rufous was last seen at our feeder at 7:10 yesterday morning (2 Nov). It was a bright sunny day for flying, and we wish her safe travels. I'll keep my feeder up, just in case."
Another BIG thank you to our hummingbird host for taking care of this special bird and for keeping us posted on her journey.
ADDENDUM: Any hummingbird visiting feeders in the east in late October, November, and December should be checked for this species. (Peterson Birds of Eastern/Central North America - Fifth Edition).
If a Rufous Hummingbird is documented anywhere in New York state, the report should be submitted to the NYS Avian Records Committee.
Larry - I think it was the tail feathers that had them baffled for awhile - she never showed them spread!
Posted by: The Zen Birdfeeder | October 29, 2010 at 08:46 AM
Great post Nancy. I am glad to see that you are getting possibly more Rufous Hummers in the East. We get them every Spring and Fall here in California as they pass through to their breeding grounds.
The males are easy to ID because of the rufous colored back but the female is a bit more difficult. She is distinguished though by the rufous sides and rufous at the base of the outer tail feathers.
I wrote a post on the Rufous Hummingbird your readers may be interested in when they came through this last April.
I hope you will enjoy these beautiful birds every year back there!
Posted by: Larry Jordan | October 28, 2010 at 11:25 PM
Barbara - oh no, snow! This was a hatch year bird; can we chalk it up to inexperience or something more global?
Halcyon - thanks much.
Mick - you'd love 'em! Thanks for your visit from so many miles away!
Posted by: The Zen Birdfeeder | October 27, 2010 at 08:24 AM
Ellen - This was much closer! ;) Good to see you the other day and we'll see you 11/14 with the Stokes.
Vickie - I put in an ADDENDUM because of your comment. Peterson's 5th Guide recommends close scrutiny of any hummer seen in the east from late October through Dec. Keep us all posted, ok?
Maz - too bad you don't have hummers there! They are wonderful. We typically only have one species here in the east so this Rufous was truly special!
Posted by: The Zen Birdfeeder | October 27, 2010 at 08:21 AM
Great photos of a beautiful little bird. I wish we had them out here in Aus!
Posted by: Mick | October 26, 2010 at 06:08 PM
Nice shots! What a special sighting.
Posted by: Halcyon | October 26, 2010 at 04:15 PM
Fabulous pictures - I've ever only seen ruby throats here in Ontario - so it's specially neat to see a Rufous but I'm with you - it better get moving...our first snow in the region (and I include most of New England) has already occurred. But maybe this bird knows something we dont? More global warming?
Posted by: Barbara Selkirk | October 26, 2010 at 01:12 PM
What lovely photos of the Rufous Hummingbird! It was lucky for you to be able to see it. Here in England unfortunately, we do not have Hummingbirds, but they do look delightful birds
Posted by: maz | October 26, 2010 at 01:00 PM
I am glad to see these images. I'm in TN and the last hummer I've seen was last week, Oct 22nd. However, there was something about him/her that was noticeably different, lighter...lots lighter than my typical Ruby-throated juveniles. So I'll be watching for him again, to see if I can get a better look.
Posted by: Vickie | October 26, 2010 at 10:08 AM
That's great you were able to see it! Nice photos. I had to travel to Arizona to see a Rufous Hummingbird. :) :)
Posted by: LNMP | October 26, 2010 at 08:48 AM