Hi Everyone,
Great news! Karen and Chris Carpenter of Elkton, Maryland were the recent hosts of the Green Violetear in Cecil Co., Maryland. Believe it or not, their lovely home has already attracted another late season hummingbird. It sounds like a Selasphorus hummingbird, and of course Rufous is the most likely candidate. Karen and Chris are wonderful hosts and have kindly offered open access to visit their home to see the bird.
Their address is 205 Blair Shore Road, Elkton, Maryland. You can park on the gravel drive if there's room or very carefully park along the road. Karen points out to wear shoes that can handle wet grass and a little mud. There are three feeders that you can see from the driveway. Please view from near the driveway to ensure the bird doesn't get crowded out. Don't approach more closely unless Karen and Chris recommend other spots. Please take field notes and photos if possible to help lock down the ID. There is no need to call ahead and you can visit whenever. I will relay any instructions or requests from Karen and Chris.
I can't emphasize enough to please be on your very best behavior. Opening up their home to the birding community is a great kindness and extremely cool of them. Feel free to post openly on this one and share photos.
Thanks to Karen and Chris! Good luck!
Bill
p.s. It seems inevitable that someone will say 'Why wasn't the Green Violetear reported this openly?' I'll just address that now. The short answer is that it would have been opened up more if the bird had stayed longer. Releasing news of such a mega-rarity must be done with care to ensure a home and neighborhood is not over-run. If the bird had lingered longer, the word would have spread quickly and many more people could have come. It takes time to have a sense for what a homeowner is prepared to deal with, and a Green Violetear along the I-95 corridor could have drawn hundreds of people. I feel confidently that everyone involved did all they could do to carefully share this special event. Please be understanding and supportive of people who try to share things like this, and send any negative comments off-line.
Karen and Chris, you guys are awesome. Thanks again!
Bill Hubick
Pasadena, Maryland
http://www.billhubick.com
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