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First hummer young of the year in NC
- To: "BB for Hummingbirds and Gardening for them in the Southeast" <HUMNET-L@listserv.lsu.edu>, <carolinabirds@acpub.duke.edu>
- Subject: First hummer young of the year in NC
- From: "Susan Campbell" <ncaves@utinet.net>
- Date: Mon, 17 Jun 2002 21:37:59 -0400
- Sender: carolinabirds-owner@acpub.duke.edu
Dear All,
Yup, the time has come! Late yesterday I encountered the first young
Ruby-throated Hummingbird of the summer in North Carolina. I received a
call from friends down the road who were worried that they had a 'sick'
hummer. It turned out to be a young male who had probably just fledged
from a nest very close to their feeder. What a relief! He was very awkward
and tame but plenty healthy (maybe even almost too fat to fly?) and knew
quite well what their Perky Pet Four Fountain was for...
And then today I set up and banded at Weymouth Woods Sandhills Nature
Preserve where I caught 11 birds in a few hours. To my delight there was
steady activity at the feeders while I was there. Eight of the hummers were
new birds and two of the three recaptures were from earlier in May. The
third recapture was a female I had seen before this season but had been
originally banded as a youngster in 2000. Interestingly the final bird that
entered the trap was an immature female. She still had grooving on 100% of
her bill and the cries of a young bird but had almost all of her body
feathers. But probably the best find was made by Scott Hartley, the
superintendent at the park, who spotted a female hummer finishing off a new
nest right over where we were standing to operate my trap (Nest #2?) next to
the Visitor's Center. Wow! What a day!!
I certainly look forward to 'surveying' the birds here in my yard tomorrow.
Hmmm, guess I better hang up a few more feeders too...
Good hummer watching!
Susan Campbell
Whispering Pines, NC