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RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD |
![]() All text & photos © Hilton Pond Center We spent the chilly morning of 12 January 2002 just standing still for nearly three hours, trying to trap an adult male Rufous Hummingbird that never showed up at a feeder it had frequented and been photographed at in North Augusta, South Carolina. Adult male Rufous Hummingbirds-- which have iridescent orange gorgets and rusty backs and heads--have been far more scarce than females this winter in the eastern U.S., so this bird would have been a good catch.
Using the vehicle as a blind, we scoped out the yard and waited for the Stuck's winter hummer to return. (To be honest, we were glad to be able to sit down after a fruitless morning, even though our hostess had provided some excellent country ham biscuits during our earlier wait.) At 12:45 p.m.--just as we finally were getting relaxed--the Pomaria hummingbird materialized from nowhere and hovered for several seconds at the precise location where the Stuck's feeder had been hanging.
All these characteristics--plus a series of measurements-- provided conclusive evidence that it was indeed an adult female Rufous Hummingbird that hatched sometime prior to 2001. She was apparently healthy and bringing in new plumage, as shown by a wing feather that was partly ensheathed (above left). Measurements included: weight 3.3g; wing chord 43.8mm; tail length 24mm; tail notch 5.5mm; culmen (bill) length 18mm. Band number: Y14784. Thanks to Gurnie Stuck (below) for contacting Hilton Pond Center about his winter vagrant hummingbird, and to his wife, Nora, for a hot bowl of her incredible homemade soup. (We didn't know until today that a potential side benefit of banding winter hummingbirds is sampling the wares of some really good cooks!) ![]() ![]() Please report your sightings of all Vagrant & Winter Hummingbirds east of the Mississippi For much more information about hummingbirds, visit Operation RubyThroat: The Hummingbird Project ![]() |
Up to Top of Page Back to Vagrant & Winter Hummingbird Banding Back to What's New? Current Weather Conditions at Hilton Pond Center |
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