Chirps and Cheeps

I had been watching eBird reports of a Ruby-throated Hummingbird over the last few days and thought, this can't be any Ruby! Finally, others began to take notice and I was called to help out with clinching the ID of this unusual visitor by going to the house it was frequenting and taking some photos.  As of then, the species was uncertain.

A woman in Derby had wisely left out one of her hummingbird feeders on the porch of the upper story of her home.  It was right outside her bedroom window and she said she figured she'd notice anything as she'd pass by there several times a day.  Sure enough - she started seeing a hummingbird zipping in to feed on the nectar!

The hummingbird came to the feeder shortly after I arrived.  She invited myself and another birder friend into her house and we got front row seats out her sliding glass door as it came in to feed numerous times.  What a treat!

Consulting with a few experts, the ID of the species was quickly nailed down to a Broad-billed Hummingbird.  This bird's normal range is in the southwest - small areas in Arizona and New Mexico.  I saw one on my trip to AZ in 2015 and, by the looks of the range map, I think I was pretty lucky to have seen it.

What is it doing here???  Sometimes these poor birds get mixed up in their migration directions.  This was a young bird and perhaps it got swept up in some of the recent wind storms with those strong westerly winds we've been enduring - or maybe it just had something amiss with its directionality.  Either way, it's going to be rough road for this guy as the weather worsens here in Western New York.  It certainly is thrilling for the birders in our area though.  And, as I write this on Day 2 of its fame, there will be tons of birders descending upon this woman's small yard in Derby to pay homage to the tiny, misguided visitor over the weekend!  Send it your good wishes with hopes it finds its way southward!