It's a rainy, rainy day here in the old backyard. The birds are mostly lying low. Standing on the back porch, I can discern several of them taking shelter in the shrubbery, feathers ruffled to repel the raindrops.
We had a front come through over the weekend that seems to have pushed some of the birds, especially the hummers, on their way farther south. Last week the yard was still busy with hummingbird activity, but yesterday, I could only count three as I sat in my favorite bird viewing chair in the backyard. There could well have been more around but I could only be sure of those three.
For a while, I thought that I had lost the female Rufous that I have referred to here several times, but then late in the afternoon I found her again, back at her usual perches. The two other birds were Ruby-throats, but I'm not entirely sure if they were females or juveniles. They definitely weren't adult males.
The rain is most welcome, but it doesn't make for good birding. It's a day for curling up with a good book. Maybe tomorrow will be one for the birds.
I'm glad one of your Rufous hummers seems to have returned. We haven't had one since the spring. We still have several migrating Ruby-throated, though.
ReplyDeleteYes, so far she's hanging with us so I'm hopeful she'll stay through the winter again. We still have a few young RTHs, too. It has really been a fantastic fall for hummer activity.
Delete