Rufous Hummingbirds Still Here in NJ

As of this morning, there was still at least one Rufous Hummingbird here at The Sandarosa in Southern NJ. I estimate that there are (or were) at least four individuals that have had a few days lay over here in Hummer Land. I tried to get some shots of the buggers, but they are so fast, they put the Ruby-Throats to shame.  They are very shy and only seem to come to the feeders in low light; very early morning or dusk. They barely hover. They zip into the feeder, sit and rest, drink for a few minutes and then lickety-split, they are gone again! I bet that there are a lot of them coming this far East these days, it's just that people haven't noticed them yet. They are just so secretive!

According to the map,  they now are "infrequently" wintering in the South-Eastern US. See a map here. With lots of folks getting into the hummingbird habit, there's a lot more food sources out there for the little cuties than there used to be. So all you Eastern Hummer Lovers, beware! Keep your feeders filled, your binoculars and cameras handy and eyes peeled! Those travelers at your feeders may be juvenile Rufous Hummingbirds that have just flown in from as far away as British Columbia or the Rocky Mountains! You peeps in the Southern States may just get some resident winter snowbirds if you treat them right!! Here's another article on the newly discovered Eastern  distribution of the Rufous Hummingbird. I am posting a few of my terrible photos here, taken through my window, just to prove that I am not making this up.