Thursday, November 22, 2012

Allen's Hummingbird in Bucks County ~ November 15, 2012

Long-time friend, Babe Webster called me on the 13th and reported that she had a 'Selasphorus' hummingbird coming to her feeder. She first noticed the bird the day before but only saw it for a short time and thought it might have moved on. But when the bird zipped back into the feeder the next morning, she called to let me know. She gave me permission to post about the bird, but I wasn't able to go and see it because of work. Finally, on the 15th, I was able to get there and take some photos of it. Despite trying, I wasn't able to get a photo of the spread tail feathers in order to determine whether it was a Rufous or an Allen's. It was a really rufous bird with a greenish back.

I called Scott Weidensaul who was able to capture the bird and band it on the 21st. Close inspection and measurements of the tail feathers revealed the bird to be the 3rd Pennsylvania record of an Allen's Hummingbird. Amazingly, the Allen's showed up exactly 10 years to the day after Babe had a Rufous Hummingbird visit her yard back in 2002. Less than a handful of Pennsylvanians have had two different species of 'western' hummingbirds visit their yard.


Allen's Hummingbird at Babe Webster's yard near Plumsteadville, Bucks County.

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