Posted by TP on February 20, 2003 at 23:40:40:
Has anyone ever seen a Rufous Hummingbird in the northern Palm Beach County area (or near there)?
My room-mate saw one visiting my african orchid early one morning about a month ago. I said "are you sure it wasn't a big moth?" because my orchid plant is near the front light.
It wasn't seen again until 3 days ago when I looked outside the back window to watch all the birds at the feeders when all of a sudden I saw this little brown thing go flying by and hover at the Red flowers of the Mallow (like a hibiscus) then to the red flowered bush (can't remember the name but looks like the red honeysuckles) and then to my orchids which it had visited the first time,,, I had moved it to the back about 2 weeks ago. I looked closer and there it was again! The same little brown hummingbird.
I saw abosolutely no green on it at all, and the brown was very apparent. I looked it up in the field guide and Imediately I saw a picture of what I had seen,,,, a Rufous Hummingbird with that same rusty brown color.
Do I need to have my eyes checked? The Palm Beach county checklist shows it as being rare in the area so I find I am second guessing myself even though I know what I saw. *sigh* Being this is the first time I have ever seen a hummingbird and am excited about it I want to make sure I have identified it correctly.
Thanks in advance for any help,
TP