[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

Two York Co. SC Rufous Hummers




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.

**********