After not seeing any hummers in the Ripley Garden for about 10 minutes
(noontime), I went over to the Haupt garden to check the pots of orange
Lion's Mane near the Sackler Gallery. It wasn't long before I saw the
Rufous. She was fairly active, often hawking for insects or dropping down
to use the Lion's Mane. It seems to me that there are more metallic
feathers on her throat now than there were even just a few days ago, but
this may be a trick of the light. This area of the Haupt garden is often
quite busy, with noisy school groups regularly exiting from the museums,
but this does not appear to be a problem for the Rufous. In fact, I held my
breath at one point as she darted over the sidewalk, appearing to pass
within a few centimeters of a woman's head--who never even noticed.
For perching, the Rufous seems to be favoring a large Magnolia tree to the
right of the entrance to the Sackler gallery. Due to the many swollen buds
and small twigs on this tree, it's a little bit tougher to spot her sitting
here than in the Silver Bell in the Ripley garden, but definitely possible.
She's active enough that it usually isn't long before she comes down to the
flowers, or flies into the air to catch insects. While I watched in the
Haupt garden for 15-20 minutes, two other birders waited in the Ripley
garden, but as of 12:45, they had not seen the Black-chinned. The Rufous,
however, was making regular trips over the A&I roof to use the Ripley
feeders.
This weekend's cold and snow killed most of the remaining flowers in the
Ripley garden, including the blue Salvia they had been enjoying so much. I
am certain this is a factor in why the Rufous is now spending more time in
the Haupt garden, where a few flowers are hanging on. It is clear that the
Lion's Mane, too, will not escape for long: once it has been frosted, it
will be interesting to see where the hummers decide to "hang
out"--hopefully, not too far away!
Laura Farron
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