Raise the Rufous!! #90

Ooooooooo yeah. Life bird #90 was sweet. We had quite a party tonight out on Emerson Rd. west of Kidron, OH. I good number of birders came out today from all over Ohio to see a small bird with some big flash.

Around 2:00 pm in the afternoon I stopped by and met a couple from St. Mary's, Ohio. Jean & Debbie Knox traveled for three hours today to catch a glimpse of our bird. Their diligence was rewarded about an hour before I arrived and the bird didn't come by while I was there (such is birding).

Jean & Debbie checking out the feeders.

Anxious for a second chance, I came back around 6:00 pm. A fresh group of birders was huddled in the shade around the front porch. Laura took the prize for having the most awesome birder pride on her car!

Click the photo to see her bumper stickers up close - hilarious (and true)!

From left to right: Mike Smith - Wellington, OH;
Dave English - Chagrin Falls, OH; Laura Keene - Mason, OH.

At about 6:20 a blazing orange fireball came zooming in to light upon a hanging glass full of sweet sugary goodness. Until now I've only had the privilege of seeing Ruby-throated Hummingbirds. What an exceptional moment, for the first time, to see a Rufous Hummingbird up close. By the time 6:30 pm rolled around, the Rufous, along with three Ruby-Throats, were dominating the area, dive bombing and dueling for "king of the perch". It was a special show, worth coming back for!

Laura took some fantastic photos of the bird, which you can see on her Flikr photostream here.

Special thanks to Chris Troyer and his family for their gracious hospitality!

Rufous Hummingbird, Identification, All About Birds - Cornell Lab of Ornithology




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