Day 239: Rufous Hummingbird

I really wanted to see a Rufous Hummingbird on our Colorado trip, and we were happy to find a beautiful male at some feeders at the Estes Park YMCA. He seemed to be protecting one particular feeder; every time another hummingbird would fly up to feed from it, he would rush from his nearby perch to attack.

I just read on Wikipedia that Rufous Hummingbirds often migrate through the Rocky Mountains in July and August to take advantage of wildflower season. "They may stay in one spot for considerable time, in which case the migrants, like breeding birds, often aggressively take over and defend feeding locations." So, that must have been what our little hummingbird was doing! Because his behavior was so jumpy, it was hard to get a close, clear shot of him, but I did manage a few blurry photos.

Adult male Rufous Hummingbirds have a reddish face and body, a white breast, and a bright orange-red throat patch.