 |
| Rufous hummingbird, photo courtesy Sharon Milligan To read more articles, click on the blue title (THIS SATURDAY'S MCAS FIELD TRIP INFO AT END OF ARTICLE)
THIS ARTICLE WAS PUBLISHED IN NOVEMBER1999
In 1986, when Jerry Jackson and I wrote finis to the text of ``Birds and
Birding on the Mississippi Coast,'' there were two species of hummingbirds
known to occur in Mississippi. Of course, one was the Ruby-throated
Hummingbird, the only hummer that is known to nest in the eastern United
States. The other was the Rufous Hummingbird, which was added to the official
state bird list on the basis of a specimen which was found dead on Jan. 21,Dalton King (who, incidentally, did the illustrations for B&B).
|
Dalton's bird, while it was the first Rufous to be documented, was not
the state's first. Various reports of Rufous Hummingbird had surfaced since
December of 1960, but since there are pitfalls to identifying hummers of the
Selasphorus genus without them being in-hand (because there is cause for
confusion between Rufous and Allen's hummers), the state records committee had
to be absolutely certain. Certainty comes from a specimen in good condition, a
very good photograph, or in-hand examination.
The 1987 publication date had come and gone when Lydia Schultz's yard in
Bay St. Louis became a famous stop along a birder's winter route. On
Thanksgiving Day of 1987, Lydia looked out at her still-blooming garden, and
its array of hummingbird feeders, and saw what proved to be Mississippi's first
Buff-bellied Hummingbird (primarily a Mexican species). Mal Hodges and I both
managed to get good enough photographs of that bird to serve as documentation
of ``Buff,'' as Lydia refers to it, before it got away without being hand-held and banded.
The Buff alone was a serendipitous event, but while Mal and I were
busy looking at it, there was another questionable hummer using Lydia's
feeders; we suspected that it was a young Black-chinned. Serendipity came to
the fore again when Nancy Newfield, master hummingbird bander, arrived at
Lydia's to attempt to band ``Buff.'' She had no luck there, but she did capture
the other hummer, and it proved to be Mississippi's first documented
Black-chinned Hummingbird (the Black-chinned is widespread in the western
United States); it is now one of the most frequently banded species in the
southeast during the winter. The problem with adult female and immature
Black-chinneds is that they look so very much like adult female and immature
Ruby-throated Hummingbirds that it required great hummer acuity to even raise
one's suspicions.
What began in Lydia's yard soon spread coast-wide, and even to the
northern Mississippi counties. It no longer raises eyebrows to hear reports of
Rufous and Black-chinned Hummers from anywhere in the state.
If you are keeping count, you will see that by fall of 1987,
Mississippi's hummingbird list had doubled -- to four. There was a great rush
among bird enthusiasts to get in on the excitement, and it became something of
an art to garden for winter hummers, and to keep nectar feeders fresh and
filled in anticipation of something wildly wonderful on a gray winter day.
The roster of Mississippi hummingbirds has multiplied in succeeding
years. A Broad-tailed Hummingbird in Pearl River County became the state's
first. An Anna's, an Allen's, and a Calliope (all in Lydia's yard) became
official members of our avifauna. In 1995, a Gulfport reader who responded to
my December column about hummers became briefly famous (and ornithologically
very important) for hosting a White-eared Hummingbird, which is certainly a
rarity among rarities anywhere in the United States except southeastern
Arizona, where it may nest in remote canyons (and is usually seen
post-breeding, as a nectar-feeder find).
All of the above species have been documented, either through photographs
or banding. It was once a problem to get on-the-scene coverage of hummingbirds.
We either called Nancy Newfield in New Orleans, who was busy at banding
Louisiana's increasing numbers of hummers, or Bob and Martha Sargent, master
banders who live all the way up in Clay, Ala., near Birmingham. They would
often drop everything to come at our behest, never knowing whether the subject
had gotten clean away, as they say. It was through their banding efforts that
Calliope, Anna's, Allens, and Broad-tailed became ``official.''
We Mississippians got lucky when Gulfport enthusiast Bennett Carver
became the proud overseer of a feeder that hosted a great male Black-chinned
Hummingbird; Bennett became so enamored of hummers that he went through the
extensive study and training necessary to obtain a banding permit. It was
Bennett who banded the White-eared Hummingbird. I don't know who was more
excited -- Mrs. Payne, who was feeding it, Bennett, who held it in his hand, or
the numerous birders who hit the trail to the Coast for a look-see. (Editor's note 2016: Mr. Carver is no longer banding hummingbirds)
Except for repeat performances by all the hummers noted above (with the
exception of the astounding White-eared), the only other potential
frenzy-producing hummingbird was the very large Blue-throated Hummingbird,
individuals of which have been briefly seen by three observers (unfortunately
not long enough for anything approaching documentation, so that one is still on
hold).
But the thing about birds is that the excitement truly never ends. Just
when we thought it was safe to look away, a first Mississippi record
Broad-billed Hummingbird (a very identifiable male) came to sip and rest at a
feeder at the home of Leslie Wilder in Ocean Springs. My friend and upper-level
birder Tish Galbraith happened to be visiting, noticed the striking red bill of
the hummer, and called Bennett Carver. The rest, as they say, is ornithological
history. Leslie kept a list of the visitors and it looked like the "Who's Who of birders.
I wanted to highlight hummers right now for several reasons, the first
being that many people have taken down their feeders since the Ruby-throated
Hummingbird parade trailed off, and that's a no-no. There's just no telling
where or when a hummingbird will show up, and the worst thing that comes to
mind is that it will choose your yard and you won't be ready for it. So if you
have cleared the table, reset it, at least with one or two feeders. Remember
that it will serve no purpose if those feeders are not clean and the nectar
fresh. We refer to them as ``winter hummers,'' because the vast majority of
these exciting sprites show up during their fall migration or during the winter
months, and it pays to be especially alert.
Your chances of getting an oddball hummer are not great. I will admit
that, after having nothing more esoteric than a Rufous in all the years I've
been trying. But. Imagine the excitement if you do! The thing to keep in mind
is that virtually all Ruby-throated Hummingbirds have flown the coast-coop
after a pretty good show in September. Therefore, one should become immediately
suspicious if any hummer comes to call. The chances favor a rarity (one of
those mentioned above), with an errant Ruby-throat a small possibility. You
might be the host of the next hummer to become an official Mississippian.
So sweeten your own
hummingbird pot. The sooner the better.
Last chance to visit the Seaman Road Lagoons this fall! All are welcome on Mississippi Coast Audubon Society field trips.
November 12, 2016: Seaman Road Lagoons, Jackson County
One of our richest and most popular birding sites, normally only by restricted access, last chance this fall to visit it! IMPORTANT: This is a working facility. You MUST stay with leaders while on site. Call Sharon (above) if you have questions about policy.
Place and Time: Meet at the park and ride at 7:30 AM I-10 exit 50 (Ocean Springs). (As soon as you exit the interstate going south, park and ride will be on the right.)
No comments:
Post a Comment