Hi all,

There is a Rufous/Allen's type hummingbird visiting a backyard feeding
station in Bexley, which is a suburb of Columbus. It has been present since
October 17th, and I just heard about it late yesterday and went over today.
The bird is likely an adult female, but sorting out the two sibling species
- Rufous and Allen's - in the genus Selasphorus is not easy, and even
determining age and sex of anything other than non-adult males can be tough.
An effort will likely be made later in the week to band the bird, at which
time a positive identification can be made.

Odds are stacked in favor of Rufous, of which Ohio had its first record in
1985. Since that time, we've had a few dozen, most of which could be
verified to species and they've all proven to be Rufous Hummingbird. But
Allen's Hummingbird has appeared a number of times in the east and should
show up here as well someday. I'll keep everyone posted on developments with
this one.

The homeowner, JoAnn LaMuth, is very gracious and would be delighted to have
people visit and see the hummingbird. If you do, the best viewing hours are
between 9 am and 11 am, when the hummer darts into the feeder every ten or
fifteen minutes. It drops in all day, but the frequency of visits slows
later in the day.

The address is 2391 Brentwood, and for those of you not savvy to Mapquest:
get off at Broad Street from I-71 in downtown Columbus and go east. Proceed
about two miles, and turn south on Drexel Avenue. The fifth street down is
Brentwood; turn east and JoAnn's house is on the southwest corner of
Brentwood and Dawson.

If you do stop by, please obey the following instructions: Enter into the
backyard from the FRONT--on the right side of the house--that would be the
WEST side. It's okay to walk across the grass, and then there is a little
stone path that leads to the back--stay on the perimeter of the backyard,
not close to the feeder--the bird doesn't like to be crowded--so at least
15-20 feet away.  There will be some chairs where birders should stay.

Jim



Jim McCormac

Columbus, Ohio

Like nature? Visit my blog: http://jimmccormac.blogspot.com/

Like birds? Join the Ohio Ornithological Society: http://www.ohiobirds.org






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