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Hummingbird near Columbia, SC



Sorry to be posting yet again since rejoining the list!  
I spotted another bird this morning at the feeders in the Irmo, SC, area--
a Hummingbird!  I'm afraid that, growing up in L.A., I'm used to looking for 
"interesting" birds and screening out Hummers, even in winter.  But my brain 
was working today, if slowly, and it registered that there was a Hummer there 
near the Finches and Pine Warbler feeding nearby at the same pole.  

This bird appears to be quite small, with a green back, white throat,
and pale buffy underneath.  There is some rufous color down near the tail
when it is perched.  Most stricking is that the wings are so obvious
compared to the tail.  I would say the wingtips extend slightly beyond the
tail.  Underneath it has a little white fluff (feather?) that stands out.

It perches in an azalea bush, out in the open in the sun, about 4'
off the ground and just across from the feeder about 15' away.  All
indications suggest to me a female Calliope Hummingbird.

I haven't had a good look at the legs and feet yet.  Could it be banded?
I know there was a Calliope in Lexington, SC (in the same county) earlier 
this winter, but I don't know any details about that bird.

It may have been coming for days, since the fluid level has been dropping,
but it certainly didn't show up during the snowstorm last week.
Unfortunately, my photographic equipment is primitive, though I did try
taking some photos through the scope.  I will scan and post them if they
come out well.

Jerry Griggs      j@sc.edu      (803)407-2706
Columbia, SC