I think you may have been observing a hummingbird moth (a.k.a sphinx moth or a hawk moth). You said it was brown and much smaller than your regular hummer and the time was about dusk. I have seen several brown ones at dusk feeding on lantana. Go to your favorite search engine and request images of the hummingbird moth. - June

Yeah, I thought about that as well. Hummingbirds and the sphinx moths do not move the same - similar - but not the same. Plus, I have seen Sphinx moths before.

This was definitely a HB. When they are in flight, it can be difficult to tell the exact coloring/breed of a juvenile.

Gosh, it really sounds more like a moth than a hummer, though. But if you are sure? (My son, who was RAISED a birder mistook moths for hummers recently.) We don't usually get any brown hummers in this zone, though once in awhile, a rufous hummingbird is spotted. And they are brown, rather than green. And they are a bit smaller than ruby-throats. If you saw it clearly enough to know it wasn't a moth, it might have been a rufous. But not if it was really getting dark. Just a few minutes before dark is when the moths start to feed, and the hummers are done by then.

Here's a picture of a rufous for ya, to compare.

Marcia

I had no idea we could get hummingbirds here! Even growing up here I never saw a single one, and my parents had plenty of possible attractors planted in their landscaping. Here's hoping hoping hoping to see one! Even if it's not in my yard...
--Shelbey

That's an amazing picture of a hummingbird in flight!
How did he keep his wings that still for a shutter to snap?

My hummers seem to be gone now.
They were active early mornings and evenings mostly.

Looking forward to the cooler season already.

Isn't it a cool piccie, Tree? I guess they asked him nicely to hold still while they snapped it. ;o) Saintp might have seen one of these, and that's WAY cool. I never have, even though a couple of them are reported here every year.

Yep, it's time for US to have the hummers, and you guys have to wait a few months.

Shelrose, hummingbirds are plentiful in Florida, though not everyone gets them in their gardens. And of course, they are small and fast-moving, so oftentimes even when they are there, gardeners don't always spot them. We have the ruby-throated hummingbird in central Florida from early spring to late summer. South Florida has them from fall through winter. Keep on the lookout and you just may spot one in your garden, if you have enough nectar plants.

Marcia