For what it's worth,
I have seen three adult male Rufus Hummingbirds (RUHU) pass through my yard (I usually only see one adult) by the week before last, and just this Saturday I saw my first confirmed female RUHU.

I have Anna's Hummingbirds (ANHU) all year round. (When Dan Harville banded at my house one winter, I had nine residents)

I usually start seeing juvies RUHU(short bills; don't know how to use the feeders; and have either no markings on the throat, or have the 5 o'clock shadow of new males)about May, so there must be a male RUHU sticking around somewhere, but since I work, I can only view in the morning and evening.

I will see both the juvie RUHU, and an occasional female adult RUHU , along with the resident ANHU until mid-to-late September.

I don't see any extra fighting--my front feeder is always guarded by one hummer or another--there is an older adult female ANHu who usually wins, and sometimes, especially mid-summer, two hummers even feed at the same time.

The male RUHU's will pass through about early September, when there IS extra fighting, then they are gone, not to be seen again until the following year.

This year's migration seems a little later, but only by about a week or so, but I don't see any change in numbers, at least at my feeders. I always expect the nectar need to slow down right about now, and that it will pick up again later.

Christine Southwick
N Seattle/Shoreline
clsouthwick at pugetsoundbirds.org

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

On Mon, 16 Apr 2012, Bill Anderson wrote:

> Date: Mon, 16 Apr 2012 10:15:33 -0700 (PDT)
> From: Bill Anderson <billandersonbic at yahoo.com>
> To: "tweeters at u.washington.edu" <tweeters at u.washington.edu>
> Subject: [Tweeters] Re: Where are the hummers?
>
> I have seen?the usual amount of Anna's in the?area of the Edmonds marsh; which includes the marsh, the Willow Creek fish hatchery, and the Pt. Edwards walkway.? I
> have not seen any rufous yet, but I did not see many last year either.
> ?
> Bill Anderson; Edmonds, WA. USA
> ?
>
>
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