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NC Broad-tailed Hummingbird



Hello All-

Just a quick update on the Broad-tailed Hummingbird in Gibsonville, NC:  Ms.
Tickle just informed me that the hummer continues to come and go from the
feeder as birders come and go from the yard to see him.  Small groups of
folks from all over NC have been to visit this week and had good views of
the bird at the feeder and perched in saplings adjacent to the back of the
house.  Given the fact that there are lots of trees and vegetation on
Monte's property as well as a stream and pond just down the hill, he wanders
a lot between drinks at the feeder. You may have to wait 15-30 minutes for
him to make an appearance.  Please try to stay as far back as possible when
viewing this bird and remember to move slowly and speak quietly so as not to
deter him from visiting the feeder.

This hummingbird is quite vocal however so listen for him if you do not see
him at the feeder right away.  Broad-tailed call notes are a 'tick' sound,
not unlike a Rufous (or a junco) but a bit higher.  The more agitated call
that you might hear is a multi-syllabic squeaky chatter.  Additionally, I
did not hear the
characteristic Broad-tailed  wing whistle when this bird flew.  Has anyone
else?  I believe he has not acquired his adult primaries yet (outer two
primary feathers were equal in length but perhaps not the correct shape?)
and so does not make the distinctive high pitched whistling that you might
expect from a male of this species.

If you look closely, this young male Broad-tailed does have one rosy-red
gorget feather on the left side of his throat.  I expect he will show more
pinky-red feathers before long since he had signs of heavy molt in his
throat when I banded him. He had few signs of molt elsewhere (flanks), only
a bit of grooving on the bill at the base (10%) and a little fat on him (3.6
g).  However, he is already one big bird!  His wing was 50.12 mm, his
tail was 30 mm and his bill was 15.97 mm.  The end of his tail, by the way,
projected a good 6 mm beyond the tip of his wing.  So this hummer is long
(as well
as broad) both in the tail and body.  If you see him perched, it is *very*
noticeable.  Also note that the rufous in his tail is pretty much restricted
to the outer tail feathers--so it is  a god bit harder to detect than it
would be on a Rufous.  He does show the (characteristic adult male) green
and rufous on his sides and flanks as well.  Another characteristic feature
to look for is his eye ring.

Bob Sargent has informed me that the hummer at Ms. Tickle's is only the
third discovered wintering east of the Mississippi. The other two(also
banded) were in Georgia and Delaware.  It is possible that this hummer will
be around through the winter--so hopefully lots of folks will get to meet
both Ms Tickle and her tiny visitor him over the coming weeks.

What a memorable fall and early winter we seem to be having in the
Carolinas.  Christmas seems to have come early again this year!

Regards,

Susan Campbell
Whispering Pines, NC