Rufous Staying?
Karen in Olathe, Kansas was astonished to see a Rufous Hummingbird at her backyard feeder on October 9, saying "I only get Rubythroats here, so he's been fascinating to watch."

Within the last decade, research by field ornithologists has shown that individual hummingbirds of a dozen species winter in the U.S. They stay mostly in the Southwest, but are becoming more common in the Southeast. Rufous Hummingbirds are the most common species to winter in the East, but smaller numbers of other species are reported each year. Thanks to weekly data all season from Ron in Tarpley, Texas, we all get a glimpse. What do you see in this week's data from Ron's yard?

Hummingbird Sightings in Tarpley, Texas: Oct. 4, 6, 8, 10
Date Rubythroats Rufous Black-chinned

Oct. 10 2 females
2 juveniles 1 sub-adult male 1 female
1 juvenile

Oct. 8 3 females
7 juveniles 2 females
1 sub-adult male 1 female
1 juvenile

Oct. 6 4 females
5 juveniles 2 females
1 sub-adult male
2 females
1 juvenile

Oct. 4 4 females
8 juveniles 1 female
1 sub-adult male 1 female

Ronald Hood, Tarpley, Texas

Photo: Christine Leclerc