ML374014551

Observation details

Quite a surprise, to say the least. As others have reported, this Mexican Violetear had been showing up at this private residence for several days. The homeowner, a hummingbird enthusiast, instantly knew that she was looking at something unusual when this bird buzzed her on ~9/19 to visit her empty hummingbird feeder. On the afternoon of 9/23, I observed this bird over the course of two hours from 10' away as the hummingbird made repeated and regular visits spaced out ~25 minutes. A delightful surprise and viewing, and many many thanks to the landowner who graciously invited me to visit. Unfortunately, my Canon camera battery was dead (as bad luck would have it), but I was close enough to snap photos with my cell phone. The homeowner requested that we not make knowledge of this bird public, or post observations of the bird of the web until the hummer was long gone. **Update: a photo analysis suggests this bird is likely the same Mexican Violetear that was seen in Illinois in August. Wow! https://twitter.com/gregneise/status/1443693040992935943?s=12