I've been surprised to have a late hummingbird in my yard that last three mornings (including today). I finally got an opportunity to study it this morning, and it would appear to be a Ruby-throat (based on the width of the outermost primary and the lack of any tail-flipping during feeding). My first November hummer. Unfortunately, my impression of the bird is that it may be in poor health, based on its ratty-looking feathers and the fact that it seems to be constantly "shivering." This is consistent with other observations of Ruby-throats that linger into the winter months. Those that are not sick or injured are typically birds that hatched phenomenally late. In all cases, winter Ruby-throats are extremely rare - I know of only six records for Tennessee from November through February. I'll also take this opportunity to remind Tennesseeans that any hummers that show up from this point forward should be scrutinized very closely, because other species are much more likely than Ruby-throated this time of year. Chris Sloan Nashville, TN =================NOTES TO SUBSCRIBER===================== The TN-Bird Net requires you to sign your messages with first and last name, city (town) and state abbreviation. ----------------------------------------------------- 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. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Topographical Maps located at http://topozone.com/find.asp * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Visit the Tennessee Ornithological Society web site at http://www.tnbirds.org * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * TN-Bird Net Owner: Wallace Coffey, Bristol, TN jwcoffey@xxxxxxxxxx (423) 764-3958 =========================================================