this afternoon work took me down to Mankato with enough time and daylight to check out the Rufous that is visiting north of LeSuer for several weeks. The bird is still there. Steve, who is hosting the bird, said I was about the 260th visitor and virtually everyone has seen the bird (although a few had to return a second time). I had spectacular views of the bird from as close as less than ten feet. The best view was when he was sitting on a branch about thirty feet away.and displaying his gorget, which sparkled iridescent orange-red and green. He appears to have more white down his front than in any of the photos I have seen of him. I assume he is undergoing a partial molt. If you are thinking of chasing this bird, I highly recommend it as the bird is both reliable and gorgeous.
this was the third Rufous I have seen, but the first I had seen well enough to add to my list. The first was found in Alaska, where it is (I believe) the only regular hummingbird, but it was only seen looking almost directly into the sun. The second was visiting my feeder on a November morning when the temperature was below zero. The feeder was frozen solid and she did not stick around to wait for me to get a warmed feeder out. I got great views, but the female Rufous and Allen's are too similar to easily seperate. Steve Weston On Quigley Lake in Eagan, MN [email protected] ---- Join or Leave mou-net: http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=mou-net Archives: http://lists.umn.edu/archives/mou-net.html
