[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]
Two York Co. SC Rufous Hummers
- To: carolinabirds@duke.edu (CAROLINA BIRDS)
- Subject: Two York Co. SC Rufous Hummers
- From: BILL HILTON JR Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History<hilton@hiltonpond.org>
- Date: Tue, 02 Jan 2001 21:14:29 -0500
- Sender: carolinabirds-owner@acpub.duke.edu
Happy New Year to all from Operation RubyThroat and from Hilton Pond
Center for Piedmont Natural History.
It looks like York County, South Carolina, is becoming a "hotbed" for
winter hummers. :-)
I learned last week that an apparent female Rufous Hummingbird was
coming to a feeder in River Hills (Bethel/Lake Wylie Community, near
SC Hwy 49 on the SC/NC border), at a house that hosted a hummer last
winter. Today, after setting a pullstring trap, I was able to trap
the somewhat wary bird in about 45 minutes. It was a vigorous adult
(ASY) female with heavy throat markings (including iridescence), and
significant rufous in the tail. This bird fed numerous times after
banding.
I also got a call yesterday that another bird was in the Fort Mill
area--I banded one the day before Thanksgiving--this time at a house
off Sutton Road near I-77 North, so I made the big circle to get
there after banding the River Hills bird. The Fort Mill bird was
trapped within five minutes and turned out to be a rather scrawny
"immature" (SY) female with a 0.5mm open sore at the base of her
culmen. This bird had only very faint throat markings and very little
rufous in the tail and sloughed off a tail feather during the banding
process. She returned immediately to the feeder after banding and
seemed none the worse for wear.
Pictures of both bird, along with a summary of the Rufous
Hummingbirds I have banded are at the Hilton Pond Center's website.
Go to the home page at http://www.hiltonpond.org and click on "Please
Report Winter Hummingbird Sightings."
Happy Winter Hummer Watching!
BILL
--
**********
BILL HILTON JR., "The Piedmont Naturalist"
Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History
1432 DeVinney Road
York, South Carolina 29745
USA
e-mail: <mailto:hilton@hiltonpond.org>
Voice: (803) 684-5852
eFax: (503) 218-0845
Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History is a 501(c)(3)
non-profit research and education organization, so all in-kind or
monetary gifts to the Center and to "Operation RubyThroat: The
Hummingbird Project" are tax-deductible.
The Center also hosts the "Nature Study Network," an Internet list
devoted to the study of interconnections among plants, animals, and
their habitats.
Please visit our websites:
Hilton Pond Center <http://www.hiltonpond.org>
Operation RubyThroat: The Hummingbird Project <http://www.rubythroat.org>
"Never trust a person too lazy to get up for sunrise or too busy to
watch the sunset."
BHjr.
**********