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MoSup
was at the bird store and the owner told her about a hummingbird
feeding in the Annapolis area. Like now. "We didn't believe
the stories, so we went there, and sure enough there is a (Rufous)
hummingbird feeding in Edgewater" Still, I had to look into this
myself. Truthfully, I was somewhat— alarmed is not the right
word, but learning that western hummers are migrating east had me
wondering, what do they know?"
Here's
one explanation.
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Borchelt
suspects his rufous may stick around longer. “What I think is
happening,” he says, “is that birds from the Canadian Rockies go east
across the Plains on fall migration (instead of down the eastern side
of the Sierra) and find patches of resources where they hang out for
the season. For rufous, winter here isn’t that much different from
early spring in the Rockies—they’re really hardy little birds.”
“There’s an emerging consensus that ‘vagrant’ hummingbirds [those that
winter outside traditional ranges] are some kind of genetic ‘scouts’
programmed to prospect for likely winter habitat,” adds Borchelt. “Mine
seems to have hit pay dirt. She may have moved in for the season . . .
as long as I keep the feeder unfrozen!”
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If for some reason (ahem) the internets and electronic broadcasting
should be interrupted, I know that I will find ample entertainment
watching our grandchildren (before they get too old) and our birds, of
which we have hundreds (birds, not chillens) that make our yard
"home." Winter hummers would be a real treat. Now, if we
can somehow get bluebirds and orioles ... .
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