Donald E. Mitchell, who has banded Selasphorus hummingbirds in California while doing graduate research, writes, "I reviewed the photos and agree with Mike Patterson that it is rufous/allen's. While I agree that the "five o'clock shadow" effect of the throat point towards immature male, typically that sex/age class has fewer scattered iridescent feathers, rather that the large central grouping that this bird has, which is more typical of adult females. Notice I used typically/typical in the last sentence--I have seen many Selasphorus in-hand that turned out not to be what I had initially thought. There are many birds that don't look like the typical birds photographed for Williamson's and Howell's guides, a point I believed is stressed in both guides. The degree of "shadow" in the throat seems to be more variable than some of the other characters. That said, I have never examined immature males this late in the year and it may be this bird is an immature male that has accumulated enough iridescent throat feathers for them to coalesce into a patch--Nancy Newfield would be a good source for more information on this, since she handles many Selasphorus at this time of year. It may also be that a bird this late this far north would more likely be an immature bird. At any rate, I think we can rule out immature female! I don't, however, think that Allen's can be ruled out. Contrary to what Mike wrote, I wouldn't rule out Allen's based on the width of the rectrices, especially if it is an adult female. Width of rectrices varies by sex and age class, with females having broader tail feathers than males. If it shows up again, try to get some tail shots!
The bird has been here pretty consistently all day, but flits into the feeders for just a second--it's been very hard for anyone to photograph. People are welcome to come into the yard, but please don't park by the side yard--it will block the view for others, and make it hard for us and our neighbors to get out of the driveway. If you need directions, you can call me--email for my phone number or address. Laura Erickson Duluth, MN Producer, "For the Birds" radio program <http://www.lauraerickson.com/> There is symbolic as well as actual beauty in the migration of birds. There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature--the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after the winter. --Rachel Carson
