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All: According to the residents, the lingering hummer in Spryfield first found by Elizabeth Doull on Thursday, and possibly the same bird seen briefly in the area in late October by Fulton Lavender, was at the feeder in front of the house at 125 Tartan in the morning. I spent a few minutes there in passing this a.m., but it did not appear; Fulton Lavender was staying around to try to find and stydy it, but I haven't heard from him. I'd like to stress again Eric Mill's pleas for photos of this bird showing the shape of the outer primary tips, the crown colour vs back color, and a profile of the bird on the feeder so that its bill length can be measured against the measureable width of the a feeder "flower." This may seem like a tall order, but the only confirmed record of Black-chinned Hummingbird (if that's what this bird is) was established from just such phootos in the primitive age of film photohgraphy (which I'm still in). Photos may also be the only way to establish the true identity of the Ballantyne's Cove young male hummer. The problem is that first-fall Ruby-throated Hummingbirds can have some cinnamon on the flanks like that bird. Some photos indicate that its tail feathers have limited rufous in areas that are characteristic of Broad-tailed, but some cinnamon tones can rarely be found on Ruby-throats, according to one authority. There are other features of the bird that do suggest Broad-tailed rather than Ruby-trhroated, but the more the better of photos and observations on habits (did it tail pump weakly, vigorously, at all, was its comportment, shape, different from Ruby-throated, etc.?) I hope people can send me their observations for any writeup that might help in my writing up the "Doves to Woodpeckers" section of "NS Birds." Cheers, Ian McLaren
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