GBP Notes 12/7/20
Good Morning GreatBirdPics Members!
Last week we got a report that someone in a nearby community had spotted a Rufous Hummingbird in their yard. Now the Rufous Hummingbird spends its summers in the Pacific northwest and winters along the southwest U.S. coast – we saw a couple in New Mexico in August as they were migrating. It is very rare to have one spotted in Illinois. Particularly in December. In fact it is rare to see our typical Ruby-throated Hummingbird here in December (I took my hummingbird feeder down a month ago). So it was a pretty big deal to have a Rufous Hummingbird reported.
The family who noticed the bird at their feeder knew it was quite different from what they had ever seen there, but didn’t know what it was. So they got a picture of it and took it into a local Wild Birds Unlimited store where someone helped to ID it. They knew right then that this was a rare bird and that others would be eager to see it. So the family put out the word: here’s our address, park in the street, view from the sidewalk, wear a mask. Essentially, they gave out their address to hundreds of strangers who would come to their house to see the bird. How nice is that!
When the three of us (Karen, me and Birding Buddy Mark) got there another Birding Buddy Joan was already there. She was on the sidewalk when the owner of the house invited her to get closer to the feeder. We joined her:
How nice is that? Very! You can see the red hummingbird feeder hanging down from the corner of the porch. In fact the Rufous Hummingbird was at the feeder when I took the above picture. The hummer would come in to feed for a minute or two, dash off, and then return 5 minutes later for more. Here’s some shots of it I got:
This is not the first time I’ve heard of someone opening their yard up to birders to see a rare bird. Sometimes they just say, “Come on into our back yard,” or ask that you knock first before traipsing around their yard, or to make an appointment. However they do it, it is very kind of them to invite strangers into their yard! If you ever get a rare bird in your yard I hope you’ll do the same.
Go Birding. Take Pictures. Share Here. Repeat. Happy Birding,
Mike
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