An immature male Selasphorus hummer, likely a Rufous, has been present for
two weeks in the backyard of a home in the Lakewood subdivision just
southeast of Harrisonburg, quite close to Massanetta Springs and virtually
between Lake Campbell and Lake Shenandoah.
Sam and Lillie Ann Flora of 3242 Arrowhead Road have a splendid view of the
bird out of their rear window. Not only does it come to their feeder
frequently, most of the time it sits in the very top of a Kousa dogwood tree
just down the hill beyond the feeder, where it is delightfully camouflaged by
almost exactly matching the tree's changing eaves from predators overhead,
but where it can easily be seen from inside the house. From this favored
perch it sallies forth to catch insects and to defend its territory. I
watched it this morning for over an hour and it was in sight about 95% of the
time.
This bird differs from the individual that is still coming to a feeder at the
home of Phyllis Rinaca and Lucille Weber at 14866 Randall Road just north of
Grottoes (which I described in a posting October 28th) in these respects:
The initial general appearance is of a sandier-colored bird. The
buffy-rufous flanks are accompanied by light rufous curving around the upper
end of the wings and down the shoulders; on the Grottoes bird the shoulders
were green. Whereas the Grottoes bird had rufous on the rump but not any
that I could see on the upper back, this bird has at least one distinct patch
of rufous in the upper back, as well as a rufous rump. This patch is not
symmetrical, being visible when viewed from the left side of the bird but not
the right. (Bob Sargent told me that if there is as much as one rufous
feather in the green on the upper back, then the bird is an immature male.)
Another very noticeable difference concerns the head. The tan streakings on
the chin in the Lakewood bird were considerably more prominent. There is a
tiny gorget spot in both birds, although I had not seen it myself in the
Grottoes bird; I only saw it in a photograph which Lucille kindly brought to
my house subsequently. The chin streakings on the Lakewood bird seemed to me
to be more numerous and thicker as well as bolder, and as they went up the
side of the throat toward and past the eyes they grew closer and closer until
on the bird's "cap" there was no more division, all was the same color of
tan.
The Floras will be happy to share their bird with viewers; however, they ask
that those who wish to see it call them first at (540) 432-0998. To reach
their house,
take I-81 to exit #247 in Harrisonburg and follow the signs for US 33 east
(towards Elkton). Drive up the long hill, passing three stoplights and the
mall on the right. At the top of the hill you will leave the city limits of
Harrisonburg. From that point drive to the second stoplight, which will be
Massanetta Springs Road. Turn right there. You will pass on your right (1)
a pond in a pasture, (2) the hotel for Massanetta Springs Conference Center,
and (3) Lake Campbell (these ponds can be good for waterfowl at this season).
Continue down a sudden hill and keep going past Spring Lane; start up the
next hill and turn right on into the Lakewood subdivision. Go to
the first crossroad and turn left on Arrowhead Road. The Flora's house is
the sixth house on the left. If you crest the hill on Massanetta Springs
Road and come to a cross street (Shen Lake Drive) where you have a stop sign,
you have gone too far. (On the other hand, after visiting the Floras, you
might want to go back to Massanetta Springs Road, turn right, cross that road
with the stop sign, and proceed straight ahead a quarter mile until you come
to 37-acre Lake Shenandoah, the largest body of water in these parts, which
can have some good waterfowl on it.)
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