ML70187081

Age and sex

Immature Male - X

Observation details

*Very rare; ~4th for Cape May County. Rufous-type hummer, first discovered by Evelyn Lovitz in her garden earlier this morning. Worn imm male; age/sex determined by female-type plumage aspect with extensive rufous rump and base of tail (bases to r1), directly abutting black tail tip. Also, heavily stippled throat all the way to chin made up of neatly arranged spots with even pale fringing, all indicate imm male. Several features indicate Allen's, most importantly, very narrow rectrices (whole folded tail looks narrow) with lanceolate r2 showing no notch, and very slim r5. Also, this bird is quite worn, more so than a Rufous would normally be at this date, but appropriate for the earlier breeding phenology of Allen's. There are a good number of fresh feathers coming in around the head and body, including rufous feathers on the cheeks and flanks, and green feathers on the back and nape (appropriate for adult male Allen's). A particularly large splotch of reflective orange gorget feathers may also include some new feathers. No evidence of primary molt. Defending garden from nearby Ruby-throats; "zeee-chupity-chup" chase call sounds very much like Rufous.

Technical information

Model

Canon EOS 7D Mark II

Lens

EF400mm f/5.6L USM

ISO

4000

Focal length

400 mm

Flash

Flash did not fire, auto

f-stop

f/5.6

Shutter speed

1/2500 sec

Dimensions

2048 pixels x 1363 pixels

Original file size

180.64 KB