Selasphorus in Swarthmore

Once October rolls around in the Delaware Valley, any hummingbird sighting is unlikely to be our summer breeder, the Ruby-throated Hummingbird. Way off course, of course, migrants have been showing up in our area with greater frequency in the last decade or so. Whether this is due to global warming, more observant observers, or birders leaving nectar feeders up longer, is debateable.

For the last few days, Dave Eberly has had such a bird visiting the hummingbird feeder and pineapple sage in his Delaware County yard. The extensive rusty-orange tail shows it to be a Selasphorus hummingbird, but which one? Allen’s or Rufous? These two are almost impossible to distinguish in the field unless you are lucky enough to clearly see or photograph its fanned tailed, or capture it for banding.