Shortly after the fresnel lens was extracted from atop the Lighthouse at St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge, as I recorded the scene of excited staff, volunteers, and media, I heard the exclamation “A Rufous just flew by!”
This quickly led to a discussion of whether it was a hummingbird or a large insect, since most hummingbirds have already migrated south for winter. The flash of mustardy coloration appeared more like the less common (in North Florida) Rufous Hummingbird than that of our common Ruby-throat.
The next day while reviewing the video we saw a quick flash across the screen.
Stepping frame by frame through the GoPro video we found the elusive bird. Pale throat, mustard color on sides and base of tail, with a sharp band of black followed by white at the tip of the tail, suggested a female rufous. We asked master birder Don Morrow for his opinion, and despite the limited quality of the photo, he confirmed our guess. Maybe the little hummer was reminding us that wildlife is the reason for the Refuge.
(click image to enlarge)
We will fondly remember this little bird whenever we think of the day the lens was removed from the St. Marks Lighthouse.
Jim