RARE HUMMINGBIRDS AT FEEDERS!

RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD

RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD

RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD

CALLIOPE HUMMINGBIRD

RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD

This is a great time of year, from now into fall, to look for unusual hummingbirds at your feeders in addition to the usual Rub-throated Hummingbirds whose populations swell because of the young birds. There is an increasing trend for western hummingbird species such as Rufous and Allen's hummingbirds and other's showing up outside of their normal range in fall in eastern states. Here are some photos of them from when I lived in NH.

The Rufous Hummingbird (Selasphorous rufous) was visiting a feeder in Hollis, NH in Oct. 2009. This was a very unusual hummingbird for there. One was last reported in NH in 2007. The Rufous Hummingbird is a western species whose breeding range goes as far up as Alaska. Increasingly, Rufous Hummingbirds are showing up in fall in the eastern half of the country. This hummingbird was banded over the weekend and the bander reported it as a hatching year Rufous Hummingbird, sex could not be determined. Identification of female and immature hummingbirds can be tricky, especially telling Rufous from Allen's Hummingbirds. Sometimes only banders, holding them in hand, can tell them apart by subtle differences in the shape of the tail feathers and even then sometimes it is not possible to definitively tell their sex. The above photos shows the extensive rufous on the sides and rufous on the tail feathers.

This little hummer is a Calliope Hummingbird, male, a bird from the Northwest who strayed far from his usual range and migration route in Nov. 2013. He came to a feeder in Manchester, NH at the home of some very gracious birders who allowed many birders to view this hummingbird, a lifer for many! This was not the first time a Calliope Hummingbird had shown up in New England and there are records from other eastern states also. Calliopes also have been reported from MA and NJ. More and more out-of-range hummingbirds are showing up in the East in fall at feeders. No one knows exactly why this occurs. Some birds' internal compasses may just direct them east instead of south. Over time that species may have a range expansion if those individuals survive and have offspring. Other people think that having more hummingbird feeders available and hardy plants in a human altered landscape may make it possible for some of these hummingbirds to be in the East in fall and winter. So keep watching your feeders!