Rufus Hummingbird

The last time I was at Mead Garden I had a brief encounter with a Hummingbird. It flew into view and I tried to get a shot but it zoomed away just as I got focused. Dang. A few days later, a report came through saying there was a Rufus Hummingbird in the butterfly garden. May have been the same critter.

I got a chance to stop back by to check out the find and discovered several of the usual suspect birders hanging out in the garden. It didn't take too long for our bird to start feeding nearby.



Hummingbirds are always a challenge to shot, especially when we were all fixated on trying to get shots of the tail feathers, which are a more certain way to tell if this was a Rufus as opposed to an Allen's. I was happy to get this view, even though the shot does not reveal any tail details.



The bird took off for a while and then returned to rest in the Crepe Myrtle tree for us to watch for a while.



It took its time to relax and then began scratching and preening for a bit. Cute little thing. This had to be a female Rufus and later shots from our friend, Marcus, confirmed it not long after these shots.



My friend Paul has had Rufus Hummingbirds in his yard over the years and I have been trying to get over to see one. This is my Lifer.



I will try to get back for better pictures in the future but, for now, I am happy enough to get this particular species under my belt after a few years. Now we settle in for the approaching Winter ducks and the remaining warblers. Can't wait!