Lady Rufous Hummingbird

[HelenB]

The winter hummingbird season has begun in the SE of the USA. Some migrant hummingbirds come to the Gulf Coast areas of Texas, Louisiana, Alabama and Florida instead of going down to Mexico and Central America. Here's a digiscoped photo of a female Rufous. She's been feeding from my flowers anf feeders for a few days and I noticed that she is banded (ringed). A female was banded at my home last March, so a hummer bander came over today to try and trap her, to see if she was his. No luck - she was what they call trap shy! But really there are too many flowers still blooming at this time of year.

Have a look at my webpage to see a photo of her with "silver anklet" showing:
http://helensbirds.homestead.com/rufous.html

[IanF]

A lovely shot Helen. I suppose it isn't often that they will sit and pose. That's a great angle to take the shot from and some nice info to go along with it.

[Andy Bright]

Excellent pose from this little bird.
I was in a photo framing shop a few days ago (buying cheap frames) and a little old woman next to me was having a fabulous print of a hummer in-flight being framed and mounted for her.... they're just as popular over here, just that we never get to see them for real. Sunbirds are the closest thing to them that we get in the 'Old World'....and you don't see many of those around London ;)
Andy B

[HelenB]

An update on this female Rufous. The humbander managed to trap her on Thursday, 7th Nov. and now we know for sure that she is the bird he banded last March. It's incredible to think that she's flown all the way to the West Coast states to breed and has now returned to my back garden 7 months later. She was not with me for the whole of last winter, so my hummer garden and feeders are probably just a "way station" for her to get fattened up for the next stage of her journey. I hope someone else can trap her at her final destination, so that we can find out how far she's going. It's expected that she'll probably go further east into one of the other Gulf Coast states.

[Reader]

Helen

Smashing photo of a lovely bird. Interesting to see that the bird treats your garden as a way station. Like you, I would love to see where it ends up.

[El Annie]

Delightful Helen!!

El Annie:t: