Last Thursday, I was showing a local writer around my yard because she's writing an article on me, my yard, and its hummers for her gardening column in the local section of the Tampa Tribune for next Wednesday. As we walked around the house to the backyard, I immediately saw a rufous rump on a bird. I got all excited and grabbed my binoculars to get a better look. I was able to show her a young male Selasphorus for the first bird that she saw in my yard. It was also the first non-Ruby-throat for me in my yard this season. The bird had a very green back with a very rufous rump and adult tail feathers.

I saw this bird a couple of more times before I began seeing a bird that appears to have more rufous in its back. The second bird has enough rufous in places that I'm relatively confident calling him a Rufous. I saw both birds throughout the day on Sunday in different parts of the yard but I've not seen the first bird since late that night. The second bird appears to have taken up residence along one side of my yard, that currently includes two feeders, and seems to have a semi-acceptance for an adult male Ruby-throat. They seem to be sharing the two feeders by taking turns. When the Ruby-throated is in the front yard, the Rufous is in the back and vise-a-versa.


Here's a couple of photos that I was able to get last night.






Steve

Steve Backes
Valrico, FL (east of Tampa)
http://mysite.verizon.net/resu64md/yardhummers/
http://floridahummingbirds.net/
http://floridahummingbirds.proboards.com/

Steve,  I envy people who can manage to have the working camera and the bird together at the same time! That bird is beautiful with the emerald green next to the coppery-rust.  Does anyone know if that is an adult female, or a juvie? I'm not familiar enough with rufous to know. 

I had one visit me in Connecticut around this time of year, 2 years ago.  That was my first year feeding hummers and I knew very little.  When I first saw it I thought it was a rubythroat in fall plumage!(what did I know?) It took a little curiosity and research to figure out I'd seen a rufous.

Linda V
Connecticut zone 6b

That's super congratulations! I have a question I can't believe I didn't ask this sooner. When did you see your first ruby-throat this year? I was on a birding trip to Florida the first week of March and on our last day March 6 everyone except me saw a hummingbird. We were in the Ocala National Forest which I think is near Valrico but then again I am geographically challenged

sarah merion station, Pennsylvania zone 6B

Linda,

That much rufous on the back along with the rufous on the tail (R1 feather) are a couple of field marks to indicate that he's a male. The lack of gorget indicates that he's a first year bird.

Sarah,

Ocala's an hour and a half to two hour drive north from here. But, that's not far compared to other drives in the state. I have hummingbirds throughout the winter so it's hard for me to say when the first migrant comes through. It's easier for me to say when they begin leaving my yard, which is usually late February to early March. Some of the winterers don't leave until May. When I lived in my apartment 10 years ago, I used to see my first migrant around the 5th of March. At least 3 years in a row an adult male appeared on that date. I believe he was the same bird and that he summered there as well. Without banding, I have no proof. This bird would show up looking where the feeder hung the previous year. From that day, I'd see at least one adult male hummigbird throughout the spring and summer. Other birds would come and go but I could depend on seeing an adult male everyday.

Steve

Steve Backes
Valrico, FL (east of Tampa)
http://mysite.verizon.net/resu64md/yardhummers/
http://floridahummingbirds.net/
http://floridahummingbirds.proboards.com/

Thanks Steve. Although I didn't see that hummingbird. I did see a yellow bellied sapsucker so maybe the hummingbird was using his sap holes for bugs and nectar. I noticed wild lupines in bloom at that time too. It was in the woods. There were no feeders around.

sarah merion station, Pennsylvania zone 6B