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Winter Hummingbird Alert




After an incredibly mild autumn, most of the eastern U.S. is poised to get its first taste of winter this weekend with a serious cold snap in the forecast.


I suspect that many winter vagrant hummingbirds that have been content to dine on still-flowering nectar plants and tiny free-flying insects will be a bit more attentive to those feeders you've been keeping fresh. Thus, I encourage folks to keep a close eye on their feeders on these first cold days--particularly at first light when hummers need to replenish their energy reserves--and to report any winter hummingbird activity to mailto:research@hiltonpond.org

I'm especially interested in the possibility of banding and verifying winter hummers in the Piedmont and Blue Ridge of South Carolina and the western half of North Carolina and would appreciate reports of hummingbirds in those areas. However, I'd also like to know about ANY winter hummingbirds east of the Great Plains and will forward those reports promptly to other banders who may be closer.

A summary of our vagrant hummingbird banding to date--along with hints for feeding winter hummingbirds--is on the Web site for Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History at http://www.hiltonpond.org/ResearchHummerVagrantMain.html


Happy (Winter) Hummingbird Watching!


BILL
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BILL HILTON JR., Executive Director
Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History
1432 DeVinney Road, York, South Carolina 29745 USA
hilton@hiltonpond.org, (803) 684-5852, eFax: (503) 218-0845

The mission of Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History is "to conserve plants, animals, habitats, and other natural components of the Piedmont Region of the eastern United States through observation, scientific study, and education for students of all ages." Please visit our web sites (courtesy of Comporium.net) at http://www.hiltonpond.org and http://www.rubythroat.org ("Operation RubyThroat: The Hummingbird Project").

"Never trust a person too lazy to get up for sunrise or too busy to
watch the sunset."					BHjr.