The Wayward Hummer

This little guy (and when I say little I mean about the size of a matchbox) has been living in the pines of a household on D Avenue since around October of this year. And not only is it a little late in the season for hummingbirds, this little hummer is a Rufous and WAY outside his normal range, the western third of America.

He made himself known to the home-owner when he started nipping from the sugar water in her hummingbird feeder. He's been hitting on it everyday since October. 

When I went to photograph him, he was initially a little cautious with me standing 10 yards from the feeder with my big lens, but in the end he always zoomed in on the red plastic to get his fill.

What was particularly amazing about his arrival for each feeding session was that I could always hear him before I saw him. I could hear the pleasant buzzing, or "humming", of his wings when he entered the area. I guess that's why they call them hummingbirds.