Hummingbird adventure in Gettysburg

Rufous Hummingbird in Gettysburg

I spent Saturday morning watching a "bird bander" put a band on my little hummingbird that arrived at my feeder on Nov. 19. He was also measured, weighed and identified as a male Rufous from the Rocky Mountain area.

Apparently these birds are migrating here more and more, though it is still fairy unusual. If more people would keep their feeders out, perhaps we'd see them even more. Most people, of course, take their feeders down in October because the Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds that spend the summer in the Mid-Atlantic area migrate to the South.



That's me holding the Rufous.
He flew away a split second later.

 It is dipping down into the 20s at night here and the wind is howling. I can't imagine how this little guy stays warm, although he is a healthy weight with a high fat volume stored up. In fact on the scale they use, a 2.5 is very healthy, and he was a 3. That shows I'm doing something right with the food I mix.

By the way, for anyone who feeds hummingbirds or who wants to start, I was told it is good that I don't use the pre-made red dye food. The dye causes problems in hummingbirds. You can attract them by using a red feeder rather than red food.

According to the bird experts, this hummingbird will probably stick around, at least until breeding season begins in February. It looks like I have another mouth to feed for a few months!