I normally don't post to this list serve, but I have a question in regard to a hummingbird report. I haven't seen this mentioned on any list serve as of yet. A Rufous Hummingbird was reported to ebird yesterday and Sunday in Broome County. I have looked at the photos attached to the reports and though I am probably wrong, I think this bird is a candidate for a Calliope Hummingbird. I base my opinion on several factors. First, in one photo it shows what appears to be a beginning gorget with a distinct white line separating it from the eye. It is a long thin dark area where a gorget would normally begin. Because of the size of the photo, I can't say for certain that it is the gorget, but there is no other explanation for that line that I can think of. Also on shots of the perched bird, the wing-tips seem to be longer than the tail. This could be a good indication of Calliope. All other features could be interpreted for either species, but I think it is worth looking into. I tried to find contact information the person who posted the reports, but was unable to locate any. Hopefully someone with more knowledge than I can do some follow up on this bird and come to a definite identification. I would really be interested in the outcome. John Haas --
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