"Paddy's Pig" wrote in message
...
Shot through a kitchen window this morning.

Anna's is the dominant hummer breed in my neighborhood, outnumbering
everything else by a wide margin. So it's little wonder that with my first
look at this little gal I assumed she was an Anna's. Anna's often have a
greenish cast to their feathers --- although usually I expect the green to
be mixed with gold or beige and not quite as green as this --- but who
knows? Light plays tricks all the time. Colors are hard to ID in poor
light and for most of the day my yard is shaded so I don't get many clear,
well lit views of her.

But now I'm thinking I may have made a mistake. I think this lady may in
fact be a rufous.

In the picture I posted of her on March 22nd there are two small areas of
feathers showing that appear to be a kind of rust color. I dismissed that
initially, thinking the light was playing tricks on me.

Now I'm pretty much convinced she's a Rufous instead. In fact she may be
the same Rufous I shot and posted yesterday. And the male I shot may be the
father. Of course he does nothing to help around the nest.

The Rufous is reputed to be the fastest and most aggressive hummer. I don't
know how to judge that myself. There's no way for me to measure their
speed. All hummers look pretty fast. Aggressive? I don't know about that
either. Maybe to other hummers but I don't see much of that.

Anyway, after several years hosting female Anna's and their nests on my
property I'm pretty sure I've got a Rufous this year. )

Maybe next year I'll have a Costas or Black Chin.
--
Pat Durkin