At the Kiptopeke Hawkwatch, our seasonal staff always leave hummingbird feeders up for the whole fall, through November 30th, because in most years, we see hummers long after their usual mid-September leaving dates.
This year, 3 species have made late appearances...a rare Black-chinned in mid-October, then Ruby-throated and a rare Rufous into November!
Ruby-throateds are mainly found in the eastern half of the United States, while Black-chinned and Rufous are usually found from the Great Plains westward. But all 3 can be found in the southeastern U.S. in late fall and even winter and people are apparently leaving feeders out later than usual. Also, a warming climate may be allowing later blooming of flowering food sources, encouraging hummers to stay farther north. A growing number of records put into eBird will help to explain such movements.
Black-chinned is very similar to Ruby-throated, but the outer primaries are more rounded, as can be seen in Nancy Barnhart's hovering photo from October 14th.
Rufous usually shows a lot of orange-to-rufous coloration on the breast, flanks, rump and tail, unlike Ruby-throated and Black-chinned. Another orangey one, very similar to Rufous, is Allen's, but that was ruled out when the observers here were able to get a good look at the tail feathers, which are shaped differently.
There are several other rare western hummers that have appeared in eastern states, so we are always on the lookout!
Brian Taber
