Hi Peter - thanks for the info! This is very exciting, and given the recent spat of rarties elsewhere, some possibly due to Hurricane Irene etc. I think it is highly unlikely but who know? There is a Crested Caracara in NJ now, first reported last weekend. I looked at the pics, and think it is hard to conclude, despite very good quality of a couple of them. There does appear to be white behind the eye, but it is hard to say how much or what shape it may have. Your description sounds good, but the photo does not show the extent of it. The bill length looks long in one photo, but ... normal in others (at least to me). The tail could be telling, since it is fanned and can be used for some hummers to identify them. But I can't blow up the photo clearly enough to see the pattern well, it gets blurry when I try so I can't tell. Maybe someone with some picture software can do more than what I had to work with. I was thinking of going out to try tomorrow but will wait, given the uncertainty for me and since no one else has weighed in yet. I have never been there and it seems like it may be a challenge to get to the site if it involves rush hour! But I LOVE hummers and if it is not a Ruby Throat I will definitely give it a try at some point tomorrow!
Thansk again, and Cheers-
Jeff Shenot
On Thursday, September 13, 2012 10:37:06 PM UTC-4, Peter Lev wrote:
> Matt Hafner very kindly sent me a personal email asking if the photographed bird could be a Ruby-throated.� Everyone should take a close look at Derek�s pictures and see what they think before rushing out to see this bird.� I haven�t done so yet, but I should have done it before I sent out tonight�s post.
> �
> If that is the case, I apologize for letting my enthusiasm get the better of me.� It�s important to get other people on a potentially good bird (being too cautious can be a problem), but it�s also a good idea to get expert help early.
> �
> Peter Lev
> Baltimore
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