Selasphorous Hummingbird (probable Rufous), Yarmouth, 10/26
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Derek Lovitch
Oct 26, 2020, 8:04:42 PM10/26/20
to Maine-birds
Hi all,
An immature male Rufous/Allen’s Hummingbird is coming to a feeder in Yarmouth and the homeowners, Randy and Nancy Billmeier are graciously welcoming visitors.
It has been present since the 17th or 18th, but just came to our attention today, thanks to our annual call for late hummingbird reports in our store’s newsletter. Jeannette and I observed and photographed it as he visited the feeder and the last hosta blossoms in the side yard and (a purple flower out front that I do not know the name of) in the front yard. He came three times between 4:30 and 5:00pm this evening, in a cool light rain and a temperature of 43F!
I believe the extent of rufous on the back (appears to be coming in in places where rufous is not present on Allen’s)might be enough to confirm this as a Rufous Hummingbird, but we were unable to observe or photograph the spread tail. Perfect photographs of a spread tail should be enough to confirm that this is not an Allen’s Hummingbird (yes, that is a challenge!), which I believe is overdue in Maine.
Assuming it makes it through another chilly night and doesn’t depart at first light, this is the first chaseable Selasphorous in Maine in quite some time, so we are very thankful to have been given permission to share this. Please, please, follow the instructions carefully and tread very lightly in this lovely, quiet neighborhood. As usual, we need to be on our best behavior as a birding community to not overstay our welcome and not make the gracious homeowners in any way regret their hospitality.
The bird is at 97 Ledgewood Drive in Yarmouth. Ledgewood is a lightly traveled neighborhood road, but it is rather narrow. Please park along one side of the road only (the homeowner’s side/odd numbers) so as not to block traffic. Please be sure not to block any driveways, and avoid turning around in driveways whenever possible. We saw numerous young children out on bikes despite the weather, so please drive very slowly and carefully.
Once at the house, walk to the white picket fence on the RIGHT side of the house. The small hummingbird feeder is on the backside of the bay window. The best line for observations and photographs is several feet to the right of the gate.
Under no circumstances should anyone enter the yard, neighboring yard, or walk in, through, or on any garden beds.
Please include the above instructions in EVERY eBird or any other post...We cannot let people show up with only a GPS location or address and assume they’ll figure out where to see the feeder or where not to be a bother.
Ellen Blanchard, the host of the Golden-crowned Sparrow was in the store today and raved about the best behavior of the birders who were fortunate enough to visit. Let’s make sure the Billmeiers and their neighbors have only good things to say about the birding community here, too.
Jeannette’s photos from this evening can be seen here:
An immature male Rufous/Allen’s Hummingbird is coming to a feeder in Yarmouth and the homeowners, Randy and Nancy Billmeier are graciously welcoming visitors.
It has been present since the 17th or 18th, but just came to our attention today, thanks to our annual call for late hummingbird reports in our store’s newsletter. Jeannette and I observed and photographed it as he visited the feeder and the last hosta blossoms in the side yard and (a purple flower out front that I do not know the name of) in the front yard. He came three times between 4:30 and 5:00pm this evening, in a cool light rain and a temperature of 43F!
I believe the extent of rufous on the back (appears to be coming in in places where rufous is not present on Allen’s)might be enough to confirm this as a Rufous Hummingbird, but we were unable to observe or photograph the spread tail. Perfect photographs of a spread tail should be enough to confirm that this is not an Allen’s Hummingbird (yes, that is a challenge!), which I believe is overdue in Maine.
Assuming it makes it through another chilly night and doesn’t depart at first light, this is the first chaseable Selasphorous in Maine in quite some time, so we are very thankful to have been given permission to share this. Please, please, follow the instructions carefully and tread very lightly in this lovely, quiet neighborhood. As usual, we need to be on our best behavior as a birding community to not overstay our welcome and not make the gracious homeowners in any way regret their hospitality.
The bird is at 97 Ledgewood Drive in Yarmouth. Ledgewood is a lightly traveled neighborhood road, but it is rather narrow. Please park along one side of the road only (the homeowner’s side/odd numbers) so as not to block traffic. Please be sure not to block any driveways, and avoid turning around in driveways whenever possible. We saw numerous young children out on bikes despite the weather, so please drive very slowly and carefully.
Once at the house, walk to the white picket fence on the RIGHT side of the house. The small hummingbird feeder is on the backside of the bay window. The best line for observations and photographs is several feet to the right of the gate.
Under no circumstances should anyone enter the yard, neighboring yard, or walk in, through, or on any garden beds.
Please include the above instructions in EVERY eBird or any other post...We cannot let people show up with only a GPS location or address and assume they’ll figure out where to see the feeder or where not to be a bother.
Ellen Blanchard, the host of the Golden-crowned Sparrow was in the store today and raved about the best behavior of the birders who were fortunate enough to visit. Let’s make sure the Billmeiers and their neighbors have only good things to say about the birding community here, too.
Jeannette’s photos from this evening can be seen here:
http://www.facebook.com/198877036808925/posts/3891399680889957/?extid=0&d=n
Happy twitching,
Derek and Jeannette
Sent from my iPhone
Happy twitching,
Derek and Jeannette
Sent from my iPhone
Derek Lovitch
Oct 27, 2020, 7:36:10 AM10/27/20
to Maine-birds
Randy Billmeier reports the hummer made his first appearance around 7:30 this am. Please see visitation instructions below.
And let’s get some tail photos!
-Derek
Begin forwarded message:
Sent from my iPhone
Begin forwarded message:
From: 'Derek Lovitch' via Maine birds <maine...@googlegroups.com>
Date: October 26, 2020 at 8:04:41 PM EDT
To: Maine-birds <maine...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: [Maine-birds] Selasphorous Hummingbird (probable Rufous), Yarmouth, 10/26
Reply-To: Derek Lovitch <freeport...@yahoo.com>
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Tod Abrahams
Oct 27, 2020, 9:26:25 AM10/27/20
to Derek Lovitch, Maine-birds
It is still present at the same location this morning at 8-9:20.
Tod
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Doug Hitchcox
Oct 27, 2020, 2:54:35 PM10/27/20
to Bird Alerts
Many thanks to Derek and the Billmeiers for getting information about this bird out and allowing people to try seeing it. To help with sharing the access information I created a stakeout hotspot in eBird that includes a tinyurl to Derek’s instructions. With so many people using the eBird app to create checklists from the field, I know people will find it difficult or be delayed in having these instructions in each list, but hopefully if everyone uses this hotspot that will keep the rules attached to each report.
The stakeout hotspot is called: stakeout Rufous Hummingbird (2020) Access: tinyurl.com/2020ruhu
This should also make finding updates on sighting easier by accessing recent sighting here (but I encourage the more timely reporting method of using this listserv): https://ebird.org/hotspot/L12605016
And you’ve probably noticed I named the hotspot “Rufous Hummingbird” because Louis Bevier shared a spread-tail photo that appears to show a slight notch in r2, a broad white tip to r3, and r5 looks relatively wide, which on an immature male is good for Rufous over Allen’s.
Hope this helps!
Good birding,
Doug Hitchcox
Maine Bird Atlas - Outreach Coordinator
Maine Audubon - Staff Naturalist
207-781-2330 x237
dhit...@maineaudubon.org
The stakeout hotspot is called: stakeout Rufous Hummingbird (2020) Access: tinyurl.com/2020ruhu
This should also make finding updates on sighting easier by accessing recent sighting here (but I encourage the more timely reporting method of using this listserv): https://ebird.org/hotspot/L12605016
And you’ve probably noticed I named the hotspot “Rufous Hummingbird” because Louis Bevier shared a spread-tail photo that appears to show a slight notch in r2, a broad white tip to r3, and r5 looks relatively wide, which on an immature male is good for Rufous over Allen’s.
Hope this helps!
Good birding,
Doug Hitchcox
Maine Bird Atlas - Outreach Coordinator
Maine Audubon - Staff Naturalist
207-781-2330 x237
dhit...@maineaudubon.org
Weston Barker
Oct 27, 2020, 4:03:15 PM10/27/20
to Doug Hitchcox, Bird Alerts
The bird is still visiting the feeder and neighboring flowers as of 3:50 PM
-Weston Barker
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/maine-birds/218D7BDB-72C0-4524-86F0-9CED767C7B9D%40mac.com.
Charles Duncan
Oct 27, 2020, 4:33:12 PM10/27/20
to Weston Barker, Doug Hitchcox, Bird Alerts
If it’s not on the feeder, it’s worth looking in the tree with red berries to the left of the house’s blue door. It’s perched there several times this afternoon, sometimes dropping to visit the flowers along the low fence.
Sent from my iPhone
On Oct 27, 2020, at 16:03, Weston Barker <westonb...@gmail.com> wrote:
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/maine-birds/CADwNRbT5gR5bk97xG9XYuKo%3DbmMQvaJ7%2BUeYKUe4kNLPxbfKZA%40mail.gmail.com.
Derek Lovitch
Oct 27, 2020, 4:57:10 PM10/27/20
to Doug Hitchcox, Bird Alerts
Hi all,
Don Thompson sent me a spread tail photo, which I have added to the growing collection of photos in the “comments” section of our original Facebook post. As expected and suggested in the field, it looks pretty darn conclusive for an immature male Rufous Hummingbird.
-Derek
Sent from my iPhone
> On Oct 27, 2020, at 2:54 PM, 'Doug Hitchcox' via Maine birds <maine...@googlegroups.com> wrote:
>
> Many thanks to Derek and the Billmeiers for getting information about this bird out and allowing people to try seeing it. To help with sharing the access information I created a stakeout hotspot in eBird that includes a tinyurl to Derek’s instructions. With so many people using the eBird app to create checklists from the field, I know people will find it difficult or be delayed in having these instructions in each list, but hopefully if everyone uses this hotspot that will keep the rules attached to each report.
> To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/maine-birds/218D7BDB-72C0-4524-86F0-9CED767C7B9D%40mac.com.
Don Thompson sent me a spread tail photo, which I have added to the growing collection of photos in the “comments” section of our original Facebook post. As expected and suggested in the field, it looks pretty darn conclusive for an immature male Rufous Hummingbird.
-Derek
Sent from my iPhone
> On Oct 27, 2020, at 2:54 PM, 'Doug Hitchcox' via Maine birds <maine...@googlegroups.com> wrote:
>
> Many thanks to Derek and the Billmeiers for getting information about this bird out and allowing people to try seeing it. To help with sharing the access information I created a stakeout hotspot in eBird that includes a tinyurl to Derek’s instructions. With so many people using the eBird app to create checklists from the field, I know people will find it difficult or be delayed in having these instructions in each list, but hopefully if everyone uses this hotspot that will keep the rules attached to each report.
Derek and Jeannette Lovitch
Oct 28, 2020, 6:04:16 PM10/28/20
to Maine-birds
Hi all,
Unless the bird retreated to a very early torpor in today's cold rain, it looks like the Yarmouth Rufous Hummingbird may have departed as it was last seen around 2:00pm. Randy Billmeier reports that today's activity was very different than any other day, with the bird making very quick, darting feeding bouts. If the bird is seen again, Randy will contact me and we'll get the word out immediately.
Cold temperatures, this morning's light wet snowfall, falling pressure, and a light northerly wind may have just been enough to usher him on his way...assuming it would indeed fly south from here. Of course, we don't know if it was a "drift vagrant" that was just a few degrees off course, or entrained in a storm, or is a " Misoriented Migrant) that flew 90 or 180-degrees in the wrong direction and will continue to go in the wrong direction. I'll choose to think happy thoughts (we need more of those in 2020), and that it has continued its course correction by heading south from here to possibly join the growing winter population in the Southeast.
Meanwhile, thank you to everyone who so graciously followed the recommendations for visitation. Things went very well for the Billmeiers and their neighbors, and Randy raved about the graciousness and courtesy of everyone who visited, and "would do it again in a heartbeat." It is just unfortunate that the bird has departed so soon after its presence came to light.
Keep your feeders out, plant more late-blooming flowers, and keep your eyes out. I'm convinced there are more vagrant hummingbirds passing through the state each fall.
Thanks again everyone,
Derek
*****************************************
Derek and Jeannette Lovitch
Freeport Wild Bird Supply
541 Route One, Suite 10
Freeport, ME 04032
www.freeportwildbirdsupply.com
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