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Post by floridagardener on Sept 15, 2012 2:15:54 GMT -5
Joe - Thanks for that information. I am really surprised that we get Rufous here in Florida given where their breeding grounds are which is somewhere between Oregon and Alaska! I am amazed!
That young female that I spotted in my yard recently had quite a distance to fly to get down here on the east coast from where she hatched this year! I don't know how she survived to travel so far considering drought conditions in the midwest and Hurricane Isaac! She is one tough little girl!
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Post by Joe M on Sept 15, 2012 5:58:47 GMT -5
Fred Dietrich (one of Fred B's group of banders) has the record claim of having banded a Female Rufous in Tallahassee and it was recaptured 3 mo later in Chenaga, AK , western Prince William Sound (its presumed breeding area) a distance of over 3600 miles. I would venture a guess that the avg Rufous logs more miles in a year than the avg motorist drives a year!
Joe M.
Lakeland
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Post by Joe M on Dec 16, 2012 12:43:10 GMT -5
Wanted to make a comment about how to help in identifying those pesky Rufous/Allen's (Selasphorus).
The absolute 'BEST' way, in the absence of a Master Bander to trap and adentify the bird ('in hand' identification), is to have some decent photos of the the bird. Although a frontal or side shot may confirm the bird as a Selasphorus it won't seal the deal!
Along with those views a photo showing the tail feathers (retrices) fanned out, WILL, in 95% of the cases.
The R-2's and R-5 retrices are different, for example the R-2 of a Rufous will normally be notched but an Allen's will not. The R-5's are also different, Allen's are narrower than a Rufous'.
So if you have the patience and inclination, always try to get some shots when the hummer decides to stretch and fan his tail feathers.
Joe M.
Lakeland, FL
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Post by Steve Backes on Dec 16, 2012 14:00:35 GMT -5
Sitting hummingbirds will eventually stretch and spread their tails. Patience and a good camera will be able to capture a good enough photo in many cases to at least presumptively identify the species. If you don't have patience or a good camera, a still captured from video may suffice. This is a capture from a video of the female "Rufous" in my yard. I have no personal experience with Allen's Hummingbirds so my only reference with R5 size is from photos that usually show the extreme. My understanding is that the apparent width of R3-5 indicates Rufous. They are definitely not indicating Allen's. The R2 appears to have the pinched look of a Rufous.  Here's the video that the still was captured from: youtu.be/gifDMvWCFUA |
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Post by Steve Backes on Dec 16, 2012 14:04:50 GMT -5
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