Hello all: 

We did indeed band and positively ID the East Arlington hummer this morning.  The bird is a hatch year female Rufous Hummingbird who weighed 3.9 grams.  Band number L66890. (the L will be translated to a numerical number later - the L fits easily on the band!)

Bander Bob Yunick captured the bird at the first feeder visit after the trap was set. VERY interesting process.  The tail feathers made the ID ( along with other details)  and it was amazing to see the amount of rufus in the bird that you don't see when the bird is just perching. He will be producing a complete report. 

In any event I will have pictures and some video posted a bit later today.  It was very neat to see the bird return to the feeder just 7 1/2 minutes after release.

As for visits… the homeowner could not be any nicer and is just thrilled the bird has come to their backyard. She is amenable to visits, however asks that calls are made ahead of time. Her name is Sharon Derosia - and the number is 802-375-6994… she will give address and directions. 

So as some have mentioned - the lesson is… next year, keep those hummer feeders going!  In fact this morning, the bird visited the feeder even though a small bit of ice had formed after the homeowner put it back out this morning. Temp was around 26 degrees at the time of capture. 

Great experience all around. 

Randy Schmidt
The Vermont Bird Place & Sky Watch
Manchester Center, VT