If you received an e-mail containing a series of four photos titled "Hand Feeding Hummingbirds," you are not alone. Others received them too. One just arrived this morning from a well meaning friend who likely wasn’t aware that his was the 23rd time that I have received this e-mail. This circulating e-mail falls into the same category as the "Fantastic Hummingbird Nest" photos, and "The Bear At the Bird Feeder" photos, all of which I received at least as many times in the past year. Like the amazing storm cloud series that bogged down computers a year ago, purported to be from Alberta, a rainstorm in Toronto, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Hurricane Katrina, depending on who sent you the e-mail each time, we are naturally inclined to question the authenticity of the hummingbird photos, since no credit was given for the shots.

Resurrecting my days of investigative reporting when I used to work weekends as a relief reporter for the Intelligencer back in the 1970s, I did a bit of research and found that the hummingbird photos are indeed authentic, albeit now a royal pain in the e-mail. The photos were actually taken by Sam Alfano of Louisiana, who snapped pictures of his wife Abigail feeding hummingbirds in September of this year. Understandably, she was amazed by the attention these photos received, and had no idea they would be circulated all over the world. Due to the tremendous popularity these pictures achieved after they were circulated (without attribution) via e-mail, she put up a website identifying herself as the "hummingbird lady."

As Abigail explains it, she lives about an hour’s drive north of New Orleans, and said they had more hummingbirds this year than ever before. Since the feeder was located right outside her window where she enjoyed her morning coffee, she wished for the opportunity to hold one of these hummingbirds, and decided to give it a try. It took several days, first standing beside the feeder until the hummingbirds grew accustomed to her presence. Then, holding the feeder in her hand so the birds were forced to land on her fingers in order to feed, she was amazed how soon the hummingbirds were willing to feed in this manner. Placing a small red plastic cap in her hand, filled with nectar, the hummingbirds soon started feeding right from her hand. It was at that time that her husband snapped a series of photos. Delighted with her success, a Louisiana newspaper published the photos on its front page. Abigail then began e-mailing her photos to a few of her friends. And they forwarded it to their friends. And now, you know the rest of the story.

Locally, our ruby-throated hummingbird, the only species that commonly occurs here, departed for southern climes by mid-October. However, according to Cindy Cartwright, who is in charge of an Ontario Hummingbird Project at www.ontariohummingbirds.ca , there have been numerous really late departures this year. Among the later than usual hummingbirds was an individual seen in Windsor October 30^th, at least two weeks later than usual. Even later was a female seen November 2^nd feeding in some late flowering hollyhocks at a Charles Street residence in Belleville.

Of course, at this time of the year, we have to be cautious when hastily identifying any late hummingbird as a ruby-throated. A western species, the rufous hummingbird, often drifts eastward instead of south, and when it does, it will generally turn up in Ontario in November. We wonder about the fate of a rufous hummingbird that showed up at the same Belleville backyard on October 30^th. A quick photo was snapped through the window in the few moments the bird appeared, and then e-mailed to me. Despite the poor quality of the hastily snapped photo, I was sure the bird wasn’t a ruby-throated species, but since two or three other western varieties are also prone to wandering east in the late fall, I e-mailed the photo to retired Algonquin Park Naturalist, Ron Tozer. He, in turn, fired off the e-mail and attached photo to a Michigan hummingbird specialist, Allen Chartier, who determined that the bird appeared to be a rufous hummingbird.

We can only hope that the Michigan specialist doesn’t decide to start circulating the photo around to his friends!