This west coast Rufous Hummingbird is NOT supposed to be in Georgia, and I shot it!

[tom turner]

The Rufous Hummingbird in native to the west coast states and migrates to Mexico to the winter . . . so how did it cross the Continental Divide instead and fly east to Georgia?

A well-known local birder who lives 750 yards from me let me know this mature male had shown up at his feeders and invited me to photograph it. So far I've just got a very distant shot of the bird. I had to crop severely, just to come up with the image you see below.

I plan to go back today, with my blind and camo, and I hope to get real close for a really sharp shot. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

A statistically miniscule number will travel east these days, and are considered extremely rare. The local birder had the same male visit a couple of years ago and it make a lot of news, and people traveled long distances to see it . . . and now it is back!

I'm still pinching myself that I actually got to see one!

 

[ordy]

Nice shot! Alas, the hummingbirds are long gone from the northeast. I love watching them but for whatever reason, our feeder didn't attract as many this past summer as in previous years.

 

[RonJ]

Gee Tom, your "severely cropped" pics are sharper than my tripod close ups.
Very nice!

 

[blackdeuce]

Nice photo.

You had me going. I thought you had actually shot one. With a S&W, of course. LOL.

 

[Harrison]

We are on the hummers migration route south. In fact our town has an annual hummingbird festival in the late summer during the height of their migration. Usually we have four or five feeders up and a dozen birds around each feeder. This year, I don't know why, we saw very very few hummers.

 

[pownal55]

Tom, if you get another shot at it just remember controlled expansion bullets of at least 30 caliber work best on tough game of that size.

 

[1morethan8]

You made a great shot!

We didn't have a large number to visit our feeders this past summer as last year. Maybe 10 regulars.. and a couple of "boss" who didn't like the others using the feeders.

I'll watch for the Rufous in late spring!

Best at ya!
-Wayne

 

[boykinlp]

Beautiful hummingbird!! I wish they were regular visitors around here.

 

[jimmib]

going to try and post a pic...they stay here in western Washington year round but have a green color
....I'm working on it

 

[jimmib]

think I might have it this time
http://i1133.photobucket.com/albums/m594/riverwader1/DSC06381.jpg

 

[A10]

Yup thats a Rufous boy allright! Congrats on seeing an unusual bird for your area! We have two Anna females and one male hanging around, our Rufous all left more than a month ago.

 

[Pete99004]

We all like to go back East on occasion for a visit. He's on vacation ya know?

Pete

PS - great photo!

 

[jimmib]

thanks A10...thats what they are Anna's...couldn't remember for the life of me...."might" be getting old...

 

[Lil' LadySmith]

We are on the hummers migration route south. In fact our town has an annual hummingbird festival in the late summer during the height of their migration. Usually we have four or five feeders up and a dozen birds around each feeder. This year, I don't know why, we saw very very few hummers.

We just heard about this the other day. Would love to see that and shoot them with the camera! We have a few that hang out here year round and get a few more during the warmer months but they're really territorial so it's rare you see more than one at the feeders at a time.

 

[radar1972]

Great shot, tom!

I live just south of Atlanta and I've already put my feeders away until spring. Our regulars left 4 - 5 weeks ago.

 

[MrTrolleyguy]

Tom I'd like to see more of your work. Is the a photobucket page we could visit?

 

[tlay]

I thought you were trying to skin it.! I heard they taste like chicken! Just kidding great shot of it. What part of Georgia. I have never seen one here.

 

[RevDerb]

Gee Tom, your "severely cropped" pics are sharper than my tripod close ups.
Very nice!

Ditto here. Not a great photographer.

 

[BrianE]

Awesome shot.. can't wait to see if you get the one you're looking for. I was always fascinated with hummingbirds.. beautiful creatures!

 

[Smoke]

In colorado if you go in the woods wearing a red hat they will dive bomb you