Hello, tweets.

This is just to put on record a sighting that most wouldn't consider exceptional.

Just now there was a beautiful male Rufous Hummingbird in the yard, visiting the feeder and showing off his spectacular gorget. The third hummingbird species this week!

This is only the third mature male Rufous I have ever seen in the yard, the others on 27 April 2008 and 6-8 April 2009. This one seems rather late to be a spring migrant, but i assume it is. I have always been amazed at the lack of presence of these birds, although we have female-plumaged (probably immature) birds in the yard in late summer every year.

It would be interesting to know where Rufous Hummingbirds actually breed within the city limits of Seattle. I assume Discovery Park, but what other patches of woodland support them?
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Dennis Paulson
1724 NE 98 St.
Seattle, WA 98115
206-528-1382
dennispaulson at comcast.net