Green Violetear - Kent County, 18-28 October

[Allen T. Chartier]

Hummer enthusiasts,

Back in early July, Michigan had its third Green Violetear near Laughing 
Whitefish Point, Alger County. This bird was very skittish and present only 
for 3 days.

On October 29 I received an e-mail forwarded from the Michigan Audubon 
Society from a homeowner in Grand Rapids, Kent County, where she claimed she 
had photos of a Broad-tailed Hummingbird from this summer and a Green 
Violetear from October. The excellent photos arrived a couple days ago, and 
the Broad-tailed was actually an adult male Ruby-throat in heavy body molt 
in August.

The Green Violetear photos show what appears to me to be a Green Violetear! 
The bird apparently arrived at her feeders on October 18 and was last seen 
on October 28. She then reported the bird on October 29. Interestingly, 
around the 20th she took her feeder down for two days, but said the bird 
still came into the yard and checked out where it had been, so she put it 
back up. So, this bird was able to survive in southern Michigan for two days 
with very little (nothing?) in bloom in gardens, and without a hummingbird 
feeder. I suspect a possible second feeder in the neighborhood, and I'm not 
convinced yet that the bird has departed. According to the Texas Bird 
Records Committee, the latest Green Violetear they've ever had (of 59 
records) is October 3. If it reappears I will post immediately. The 
homeowner has consented to visits from birders if it returns.

Allen T. Chartier
amazilia1 at comcast.net
Inkster, Michigan, USA
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Every day, the hummingbird eats its own weight in food.
You may wonder how it weighs the food.
It doesn't. It just eats another hummingbird.
-- Steven Wright
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