We now have three wintering hummingbirds in the Lynchburg area.
1. A Rufous female in Amherst County. This bird was banded on December
2, 2006 by Sue Heath and recaptured at the same feeder on November 3,
2007.
2. A presumed female Rufous on Chickasaw Drive in Lynchburg. This is
the site where Sue Heath banded an adult female Rufous on December 2,
2006.
3. A third bird, reported on November 24 from Lake Vista in Lynchburg.
I went out to see this bird today (November 30). To be honest, I didn't
see the warm, buffy wash along the sides that I have come to associate
with the female Rufous. It also seemed to show pale feathers along the
outer margin of the tail. However, I am no expert on the identification
of immature female hummingbirds, so for lack of anything better, I'll
just call it a Selasphorus sp. We have contacted a hummingbird bander
about birds #2 and #3. We hope to have someone come down and try to
capture them. Sure hope they stay for our Winter Bird Count...that will
break last year's record when we had two!
Thelma Dalmas
Evington, VA
