Lehigh Valley bird sightings for Aug. 29

Can you identify this Selasphorus hummingbird?

One of the birds listed in this week's Lehigh Valley bird sightings isn't actually a specific bird species. It's been identified as a "Selasphorus" hummingbird, a catchall term that includes seven different species, each of them remarkably similar.

"Members of the genus Selasphorus are infamous for being incredibly difficult when not impossible to identify, especially the females and juveniles," writes John F. Garrett, who has written a primer on the subject for the American Birding Association.

The local sighting of the Selasphorus hummingbird occurred in Williams Township, Northampton County, on August 24.

Virtually all of the hummingbirds we see in the Lehigh Valley are vicinity are Ruby-throated Hummingbirds (Archilochus colubris). The males in particular are easy to identify by a ruby-red patch on their throats and green upperparts. The females have green underparts that are whitish and indistinct. The juveniles look similar the females. Adult Ruby-throats are about 3 inches long. They tend to shuttle back and forth between flowers on a horizontal plane and with tail spread.

While most hummingbirds are geographically separated from one another, their migratory routes and other factors sometimes bring them into areas where they are not seen regularly.  

For instance, Rufous Hummingbirds usually live in the Pacific Coast and Rocky Mountain states. However, one spent time at a feeder in Allentown early last winter. Suddenly it disappeared. It's not known whether it moved on or didn't survive as the winter grew harsher. Rufous Hummingbirds are better able to take the cold than Ruby-throats, which by late September migrate southward for the winter.

If you run across an unusual hummingbird, it's likely to be a Rufous ("rufous" refers to the reddish brown color). The other possibilities are the Broad-tailed, Anna's, Scintillant, Glow-throated, Calliope and the ominous sounding Volcano. 

You can identify a species of Selasphorus hummingbird on the basis of size, appearance and behavior.

If you need advice, consult Garrett's identification guide or Hummingbirds.com.

With that said, back to the rest of this week's bird sightings. The list was provided by Dave DeReamus, of the Eastern Pennsylvania Birdline, a project sponsored by the Lehigh Valley Audubon Society.

Lake Minsi, Northampton County
Common Loon, 1 through August 22.

Plainfield Township, Northampton County
Blue-winged Teal, 1 on August 28.
Green-winged Teal, 1 on August 28.

Lower Nazareth Township, Northampton County
(at the Gremar Road retention ponds)
Ruddy Duck, 1 on August 22.


Bethlehem, Northampton County
Peregrine Falcon, 1 on August 24 at its nest site.

Moore Township, Northampton County
Olive-sided Flycatcher, 1 on August 20.

Leaser Lake, Lehigh County
Black-crowned Night-Heron, 3 on August 23; 2 to at least August 27.

Bake Oven Knob, Lehigh County
Bald Eagle, 12 on August 24.
Also seen: Common Raven, Red-breasted Nuthatch and Wilson's Warbler.

Heidelberg Township, Berks County
Tundra Swan, 1 on August 24 along Bake Oven Road.

State Game Lands 157, Bucks County
(on Haycock Mountain)
Red-headed Woodpecker, 4 on August 24; 5 on August 26; 3 on August 27.

Peace Valley Park, Bucks County
Prothonotary Warbler, 1 on August 26.

To report bird sightings to Dave DeReamus, send an e-mail to becard@rcn.com with the word "Birdline" in the subject heading.

Answer to today's quiz: The hummingbird pictured above is a female Rufous Hummingbird.