I don't know Jenny but you took some good pictures.

Wow,

It sure looks like a Rufous. The site below says that female Rufous and Allen's are indistinguishable. Either way, it is obviously NOT a RT.

I took your pick and played with it a bit to try to show the 'rufousness'. Definitely time to notify the local authorities!
{{gwi:996307}}

Here is a link that might be useful: Hummingbird Field ID

Thanks for the complement mimidi! :-D. And thanks Dave for the enhancements. All those pics were taken from inside through the window. Haven't seen that one since this morning.

Dave - I had checked out that site (it had been linked to from hummingbirds.net). Plus I looked through the various google images of female Rufous. The claws on its feet were kindof interesting too and seem to match some of the pics that show Rufous claws, which to me, look bigger than RT ones! LOL

I know they do say that they are hard to distinguish from Allen's, but I understand Allen's are strictly west coast hummers and mostly remain in California. I do know that there have been Rufous sitings here in PA before though, although I think later in the season. But then again who knows? Seems people are reporting that the migration is starting a bit early this year.

I am still on the lookout and I still have my canvas/vinyl red lunch bag out there as a welcome beacon. My balcony faces NE so anything coming down from the north should hopefully see that and find a nice little smorgasbord that supplements the feeder including some blooming B & B and Agastache (and some morning glories if they are so inclined). Plus there are a few reblooming weigela flowers as well as an occassional goldflame honeysuckle bloom.

Great photos. I think I have one - the one who guards the feeder out in front. When looking straight at her(?) she has two little white feathers that look like paint drops on the bottom of her inside feathers. I hope that makes sense.

Hi Jenny :)

What beautiful pictures! What kind of feeder is that and is that a Morning Glory growing around your feeder! It looks so pretty! :) She does look like Rufous. How neat!

Jenny it does look like a rufous but I am certainly no expert What you can do and what I did was contact The Academy of Natural Sciences That would be the easy way they have sone birder there plus the Delaware Valley Ornithicological Society meets there every month also Scot Weidensaul and his trainees band hummingbirds Here's a link to his posting on the Pa bird list. Sarah

Here is a link that might be useful: Pa bird list

Also if you scroll up or down that list you will see Arlene Koch She is not a bander but an expert on hummingbirds She lives in Easton. Here's link to the DVOC that meets at the Academy. Sarah

Here is a link that might be useful: DVOC

Hi catnappurr! That is a Perky Pet - I believe they call it the "Fountain 4" feeder and it can hold 8 oz of sugar/water. I usually fill it with ~4 oz. I've really noticed the feeder level going down much faster now than than anytime earlier this summer. It doesn't get completely drained before I refill (about every 2 days), but they are sure getting some good drinks out of it. It's funny but every once in awhile when one is drinking, a bubble forms and pops in the feeder, startling whoever is sipping at that moment.... which cracks me up because whoever caused that to happen will jump to another port after looking my way as if it was my fault! LOL

And yep, those are morning glory volunteers that have climbed around the shepherd's hook. I planted "Grandpa Otts" and "Scarlet O'Hara" 2 years ago and haven't needed to plant any more since then as they reseed every year in almost every container I have! LOL

I guess I am somewhat concerned as this seems early for any strays - most reports are usually later in the season - eg., October or later. But I'll keep checking who comes to visit for sure! It would be cool if I saw this one again.

sarah - I missed your post as I was posting at the same time.

I saw you put that link in another thread and I actually spent much of the afternoon going through all the messages there and jumping around to the various local birding websites including the other one you just linked to. Got some good info from those sites!

I do want to wait to see if I see this one again and hopefully get a better picture before reporting. If it really is one, hopefully it'll hang around our area for awhile. What is interesting that I didn't connect was that one of the confrontations between hummers that happened around the time that pic was taken, didn't immediately result in a chase. In fact, I was trying to aim to get the 2 birds in the picture as one wasn't quite phased with the display of the chaser... Which makes me wonder now whether the one being confronted was the possible Rufous and she didn't quite get the message immediately about whose feeder that was. LOL Usually when one confronts another, they both would immediately zip off in a flash... But that didn't happen in this particular case until after about 5 - 10 seconds (an eternity in the hummer universe...lol).

Jenny here you go more direct to the point now we actually have two here Scot Weidensaul in Schuylkill County and Nick Pulicinella who's in Chester county Here is the hummingbird banders website book mark it in case you see her again I've been thru this in 2002 when I had a calliope visit me on Election day I contacted the Academy who got me in touch with Scott(Nick wasn't certafied then) He never did band him but they did get a video of him I thought he was a ruby-throat shows how little I know. Sarah

Here is a link that might be useful: hummingbird banders

Just bookmarked! Thanks Sarah! :-D

It must be my computer or screen, but I can't see enough details on this bird. If it has a rufous wash on its sides it would pretty much rule out ruby-throated. Could you see rufous on the tail?

A word on record committees. Evidence needs to be unequivocal for a record to excepted by a records committee. In the case of immature Rufous/Allen's Hummiingbirds the situation is particularly difficult, since it is impossible to identify them other than by measurements. It isn't enough that Allen's is extremely rare in the east (there is a record for New Jersey), you have to be sure. When there is no certainty, these records are usually referred to as "selaphorus sp". Sorry, I can't recall the how to spell the genus name, and there are no books nearby. Don't however expect perfection from records committees. I remember finding a Mew Gull on the Delaware River for which I reported detailed descriptions to the NJ and PA committees. PA excepted the record, but NJ did not.

From this inexperienced eye, it also looked like it could be a rufous to me. The rust color seemed vary obvious to me even in the very first picture Jenny but like Sarah, I am no expert. If it is a rufous you are REALLY having and awsome year way up on that balcony!!!!!

Penny

It sure does look like a rufous; however, could it be a rosy reflection from the red on the feeder? Camera lenses often enhance the reflection of light from one source to another. Can you catch a good look at this bird from another location, like a perch? Did she come back? VAL

Ward - it was just a random picture that I took of whatever was visiting my feeder yesterday morning, since over the past couple weeks, there have been at least 2 different ones (and possibly more as the chases are happening quite frequently now). I have just been elated to get any kind of hummer up where I am so whenever I've been in the position to take a picture (particularly in the mornings when the sun is shining on the balcony to get better detail), I shoot. The photos are zoomed from about 10ft away from the feeder. I managed to make it to the window to take the pics without them flying off and from that distance, they all sortof look alike except for maybe body shape and size. There was some tail flaring going on and I desperately tried to capture the 2 in a picture but couldn't get 'em.

I do understand about the IDing based on the tail feathers which would really help nail it better, particularly because the tail feather color would be a good dead giveaway. But I couldn't move fast enough to capture a clear shot of that one when it was nectaring at the Agastache (I do have one pic where it was on its way out of the Agastache but is partially blocked by Agastache stems). Hopefully she'll come back, but then I'll have to wait until very early mornings (got my first visit this morning at ~6:05am) and early evenings, as I am at work during the day and am out the door ~6:40am (and they do come all day).

Penny - I still haven't gotten over it.

And now to have multiple ones visiting! And I get to see the same sort of antics that they do down on the ground! It's amazing how high up they will fly to chase - including way above my building! There is something guppy-like about their displays (ie., male guppies do that tail thing) and I see the female hummers continually doing the tail flares at the wasps and at each other, which is so familiar to me from the fish world. I hope I'll see some different ones in the next few weeks including a male RT. Am really making sure that I observe and appreciate them now because once they're gone, that's it until next spring!

Val - I was thinking maybe that was it too but then that's why I included the pic of the other hummer too, which was taken probably about 10 minutes after and the pics I have taken with the sun behind the feeder don't really reflect per se... Was trying to take pics all the rest of yesterday of what showed up and it was mainly my regulars (where a chase would occur).

I do now realize that they are occassionally perching on branches of my weigela that overhang the rail about 3 - 4ft down the fencing on the outside and I've seen one perch on branches of the blueberries (which is sortof not in my field of view unless I'm in my bedroom looking out or outside on the balcony). I did capture a pic of one in my plum tree. But basically the configuration is like this:

(note the red bag beacon! LOL)

The balcony is 40ft long. I need to upload a more current pic but this is much of the balcony from this past May, looking towards the ESE:

So when they show up and see all the stuff there, they do start flitting around below my field of view - especially since alot of the stuff that is blooming is doing so down below the windows.

Jenny Yow really do have a hummer paradise. Stephen's brother had a halloween rufous last year. He was banded immediatly by Nick Pulicinella Stephen posted a picture and I asked permission to go see it since it was near where my son plays ice hockey that very same day and it had already left and not even Stephen got to see it. It was not even reported untill a month later because he left so fast

Ward There are alot of hummingbirds that pass thru New Jersey allen's black chinned calliope and rufous and from what I understand quite a few go to the same persons house in Cape May county but they don't allow visitors what so ever but I assume they were banded. The same week I had a visitor there actually was one in Atlantic county somewhere Scot Weidensaul told me about it. also I heard thru the grapevine that there was a hummingbird last fall in center city Philadelphia. But never could find out where. Sarah

Sarah - I actually saw a link from a different forum to Stephen's brother's pictures, which were cool. It's amazing how the banders can capture them and then hold them for examination, since these little birds seem so fragile!

That's interesting about the hummer downtown here. I wouldn't be surprised because there are alot of parks scattered around and a nice emphasis on planting trees and shrubs and perennials whereever possible downtown. As it is, I managed to capture a few pictures of some fledgling American Kestrels that had apparently come from a nest on the roof of the building where I work which is a couple blocks from the Delaware River in Olde City. And early last week, I saw a pair of Great Blue Herons in the Wissahickon Creek right near where the 92nd Police District building is along Lincoln Dr. I have never seen those birds before in the wild (let alone in the city) and was floored by their size and graceful stance while standing in the water. If I could have pulled over to take a picture of them, I would have but I was on my way to work and there was no place to pull into. They were gorgeous in the early morning light and mist. I have this mental image of a watercolor painting of what I saw.

The variety of birds that have been really making their presence known here in the city is amazing. They seem to be adapting so far, right along with the squirrels and pigeons! LOL

Jenny - You have a fabulous garden! No wonder you have multiple visitors. Have you seen anymore of your Rufous visitor? Just wondering. Ruth

Ruth - am still looking at each hummer that I see come and haven't seen her again yet. There's alot of perching and chasing going on but whenever I can get to the camera and get it focussed fast enough, I take pics and check to see who was there.

Jenny there's a rufous in Cape May here's the link. Sarah

Here is a link that might be useful: Cape May rufous

Jenny - That is so cool that you got the first pic; way to be on the ball with the camera. The little hummers chase so fast, it is so hard to catch multiple sightings action shots. I haven't managed to capture anything usable yet.

Sarah - That is exciting about the Cape May Rufous. I have heard other stories about our wayward Rufous on the East Coast. It is pretty amazing.

Ruth

Ruth from what I understand they are amazing little hummers. Sarah

Ruth - they have really given me a workout this summer, leaping up off the sofa, grabbing the camera, and trying to sneak to the window to get a closeup shot through the window. My earliest pics were zoomed about 15ft from the sofa through the window, but I have wanted to get the closer shots.

Sarah - ironically I was with my sisters and BILs in Wildwood this past Saturday. Hadn't been down there in many many years and grabbed a cute picture of a gull.

That would be great if there are a few Rufous over here. Thanks for the link!

Jenny - As a first year birder, it is a workout but I have never had so much fun watching and trying to get an occasional photo.

Sarah - You have probably heard of this story in my link but this is what drew me to the Hummingbird Forum reading about this errant little Rufous named Hanah. Ruth

Ruth

http://portalproductions.com/h/stories-new.htm#22