re: 2021 Flight of the hummingbirds

I'd love to have a good camera to get pictures of them. My cell phone camera sux. When I look up "Alabama hummingbirds" or something similar all I see are shitty pictures. Other than ruby throated I can't tell what kind they are.

This makes me want to get a really good camera. I just can’t justify it at the moment. It would be awesome though. As good as cell phone cameras are they still suck for detail.

Some ID tips for those of us on the gulf coast or Southeast:

- Ruby-throated are the only expected hummingbirds along the gulf coast,and is the Eastern US, particularly spring, summer, fall. If it's a green bird, green and white, green and buff, etc, it's probably a ruby-throated.
- most similar to the Ruby is a black chinned hummingbird. Only way most of us are going to tell the difference is in an adult male where the gorget (throat) is purple instead of red
- Beginning now and through the winter, there are vagrant western birds, most commonly the Rufous hummingbird. Keep an eye out for a hummingbird that has any bit of orange on it. Juveniles may have just orange tail feathers, while adult males are little orange fireballs.

Keep a feeder out year-round and you may just be surprised at what shows up. Last year was one of the busiest for wintering hummingbirds, with 281 birds banded by the Hummingbird Research project. LINK

I'll get an occasional rufous if the bees let me keep my feeders up throughout October. The one two years ago acted like it found a new home. It left when I could no longer keep the bees away.

Have not. I'll check back in for that if I get a rufous, and then get the bees again.

I have one left, and it's an old-looking female that's been with me all summer.