Vermont Rare Bird Reports 2021

I believe that Nathaniel Sharp has also filled out a report- . Kevin Tolan, Nathaniel and I agreed that he would submit the eBird checklist well after the sighting to protect the private homeowner's wishes that she expressed to me upon tracking her and the correct location of the bird down.

clear, no wind, no precipitation

Zeiss Conquest 8X 56T binoculars, naked eye

Being Vermont's apparent first record for this species, I was not locally familiar with it. I am familiar with hummingbird identification, and realized from the pictures that Vicky S submitted initially on eBird that this was NOT a ruby-throated hummingbird. Vicky stated the bird as a hybrid between Rivoli's and Lesser Violetear, but I knew from experience with Lesser Violetear in Costa Rica that the pictures were not of a hybrid. I saw lesser violetears (Colibri cyanotus) at Mirador de Quetzales, Salsipuedes, Costa Rica on 9 March 2020. Lesser violet ear used to be considered conspecific with Mexican violet ear, but has since been reassigned species. I am accustomed to receiving rare bird alerts through eBird which state a fantastical species as having been observed, but I knew from the photographs attached to the sighting that this was a rare species of hummingbird.

The bird had first been spotted in the area on the 18th of September by the resident. It would visit her hummingbird feeder regularly a number of times during each day. The area where the bird was observed was in the yard and at the hummingbird feeder on the porch at the back of the house. Surrounding a mowed area approximately .25 acres in size were woods, predominantly softwood (white pine) on the northwest of the cleared area, and hardwood on the southwest and to the east. There was a lilac bush in the yard approximately 4-6 meters from the porch, where the feeder hung, and there were perennial and annual flowers planted around the porch. The landowner had two hummingbird feeders hung, but the bird returned several times to the larger one on the porch that was immediately to the back of the house and flanked by the house parking garage.

I and two other observers remained on the porch, while the homeowner stood closest to the feeder. I arrived initially, and then Kevin Tolan and Nathaniel Sharp arrived. The bird made its appearance shortly after the homeowner told us that she could actually call it in. She called, hummingbird, hummingbird, and it appeared, no more than 15 minutes after we arrived. It first flew to a group of annual flowers below the porch deck, then to the hummingbird feeder less than a meter from where the landowner was standing. It then flew back and forth to the lilac in the yard, where it was dived at by a ruby-throated hummingbird.

It was silent for the most part, except when it arrived at the feeder and when it was being dived at by the ruby-throated hummingbird. I believe that Kevin Tolan got a recording of the vocalization

I was first alerted to this bird on 09.22.21, when i received the routine rare bird alert for Orange County, Vermont, issued regularly by eBird (if signed up for it). The bird was posted as being observed at about 11:15 am in the East Thetford region. Because of the pictures attached, I recognized that the hummingbird described as a Rivoli's hybrid by the original observer was clearly not a ruby-throated hummingbird. I texted the eBird Orange County Reviewer, Kyle Jones, to see if he knew anything more about the sighting, and he stated that he did not, and was not in the state to investigate. I was 14 miles from where the Pin for the sighting was, so I drove to try and confirm the genus and species. After searching for 1.35 hours in the vicinity of the Pin, and asking for directions to Vicky S's house from neighbors, I realized that it had been Pinned erroneously. At 4:37 pm, I found the observer's contact information and called to speak with her. She had not ever used eBird previously, and was trying to get help from her sister to fill out the observation. I asked her to be prepared for a large crowd of people to come to the location that she had Pinned, to remove it, and to contact the County Reviewer as to how to report the bird without disclosing the location of her private residence. I asked permission to visit the bird the following morning, and she agreed, as long as I kept the location undisclosed. I then texted the County Reviewer to let him know that I had found the true location of the observation and that the woman had requested that it be kept private. The County Reviewer had already alerted others, and agreed to have Nathaniel Sharp contact me so that we could go together. I arrived on 9.23.21 at 6:36 am, and Nathaniel Sharp and Kevin Tolan arrived shortly after. The bird appeared as previously stated, within 15 minutes of us and the landowner waiting on the back porch. See photographs for the description of the bird.

A hummingbird, approximately 10 cm in length, larger in relative size when compared to ruby-throated hummingbird that was actively diving at this bird while it perched in a lilac bush

distinct, purplish ear patch, round head, dark eye, metallic green except for a small white patch near the back of the right eye and the ear patch

bill dark and straight; feet were tucked into belly in flight, dark in color when perched on the feeder

iridescent green

iridescent green- to brownish bronze

rounded, wings longer than body length, darker in color, not shiny, brownish/bronze, when perched, wings did not extend past tail feathers.

undertail coverts white, flanks hard to visualize in flight, but seemed to blend into undertail coverts when flying; belly and breast metallic green with a purplish-blue patch near upper belly

length approximately half that of the rest of body, darker in color, and appeared to have a darker band at the tips of the rectories

Colibri cyanotus (no white undertail coverts as this bird had), Eugenes Fulgens (this bird lacked prominent purple crown/crest), Archilochus colubrids (larger in size, belly not white, throat not white or red)

There is a good deal of speculation that this bird may be the same individual observed in the Chicago area in August 2021 (https://ebird.org/media/catalog?taxonCode=grnvie1&mediaType=p&sort=rating_rank_desc&region=Illinois,%20United%20States%20(US)&regionCode=US-IL)

the report will not let me load my photos. i have several that i can send.