In the last week of Sept. while I still had a few Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, I began noticing a hummer that was a bit different in looks and actions. Belligerent and defensive is a mild description. By the second week in Oct, I knew it was of the Selasphorous sp.and got in touch with Chris Sloan to see if he as interested in banding it. He came on his first available date, 10-22-05. After getting his equipment set up, Chris came inside with the string to the trap door in his hand and within 15 minutes the hummer came right in to the feeder and was trapped. What followed was an experience I had wanted for years. I watched closely as he slipped the bird in the toe of nylon hose and handled it with the ease of a professional. After weighing, measuring, examining feathers, checking for fat, spreading the tail to show the pattern of rufous and black, he placed the band around what must be the shortest leg in the bird world. He found the feathers very badly worn, barely showing the white tips of the tail feathers. After putting all the statistics together Chris determined it to be an adult female Rufous Hummingbird! So what I had been calling a he---was a she. Photos were taken of the bird throughout the exam and finally, Chris placed it in my outstretched hand where it remained completely still until he touched my fingertips and it zoomed off. But within a short time she was back at the feeder and has been back every day since. No one knows the emotions I felt unless they have had the same experience. Nice things happen to me. Robbie Hassler Byrdstown, TN Pickett County =================NOTES TO SUBSCRIBER===================== The TN-Bird Net requires you to sign your messages with first and last name, city (town) and state abbreviation. You are also required to list the count in which the birds you report were seen. The actual date of observation should appear in the first paragraph. _____________________________________________________________ To post to this mailing list, simply send email to: tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx _____________________________________________________________ To unsubscribe, send email to: tn-bird-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with 'unsubscribe' in the Subject field. ______________________________________________________________ TN-Bird Net is owned by the Tennessee Ornithological Society Neither the society(TOS) nor its moderator(s) endorse the views or opinions expressed by the members of this discussion group. Moderator: Wallace Coffey, Bristol, TN wallace@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx _____________________________________________________________ Visit the Tennessee Ornithological Society web site at http://www.tnbirds.org * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Topographical Maps located at http://topozone.com/find.asp _____________________________________________________________