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- Established 1982 -

HOME: www.hiltonpond.org

THIS WEEK at HILTON POND
1-10 March 2023

Installment #801---Visitor #web counter

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All text, maps, charts & photos © Hilton Pond Center

ANNOUNCING HILTON POND'S
BLACK VULTURE NEST CAM

On 20 February 2023 at Hilton Pond Center we watched as a Black Vulture landed on the roof of an abandoned chicken coop, jumped to the ground, and disappeared. Suspecting it had entered the dilapidated shed we investigated further, accidentally spooking the vulture that had gone inside and then departed in a burst of wings as we trespassed in its domicile.

All text, maps, charts & photos © Hilton Pond Center

On the hard concrete floor where the vulture had been we found a bare spot and two 3" pale green eggs with irregular brown splotches. This was a sure sign the big black bird had been incubating so we departed quickly. We'd always hoped this species would nest at the Center and now had an unprecedented opportunity: Install a video camera to observe a Black Vulture nest in the wild. Sure, lots of folks have set up nest cams to observe Bald Eagles and various owls, but Black Vultures?--not so many.

All text, maps, charts & photos © Hilton Pond Center

Thanks to donor support for Hilton Pond Center, we were able to order an infrared-capable surveillance camera, Ethernet cables, and peripherals in the hope of live-streaming nest activities to the Internet. The equipment eventually arrived and on the afternoon of 1 March we set up everything, connecting the camera to our desktop Mac Studio computer through which we could watch the nest 24/7.

All text, maps, charts & photos © Hilton Pond Center

The camera is also motion-activated, with any movement around the nest causing a recording to be made and archived on the Mac. Although we adjusted camera sensitivity such that minor movements are not recorded, we still have lots of brief video snippets of the incubating vulture as it merely turns its head (above) or flexes a wing (below). We discard many of these short clips but depictions of significant activities are well worth saving, studying, and sharing with our readers.

All text, maps, charts & photos © Hilton Pond Center

Alas, we haven’t worked out the bugs yet for continuous live-streaming from our Mac to YouTube (any OBS experts out there ?) so for now we’ll post frequent video snippets to the Center's YouTube page. To view our vulture videos please visit Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History on YouTube, and SUBSCRIBE to our channel to keep abreast of what's happening with the Black Vulture nest. Right now incubation is the name of the game, but there are plenty of other vulture behaviors being documented in this fascinating footage.

All text, maps, charts & photos © Hilton Pond Center

As an example, paired vultures share incubation duties and we've already seen interesting interactions at shift change (bill-touching, above). Things will undoubtedly get even more involved when the chicks hatch. CAVEAT: That might not be real soon. Black Vultures incubate for 30-38 days--that will make for a lot egg-checking (low light infrared image below). After hatch, nestlings may not fledge for up to three months!

All text, maps, charts & photos © Hilton Pond Center

Again, please visit Hilton Pond Center's YouTube channel to view video versions of all our still images above, and more. Each on-line video snippet includes an interpretive caption, so we hope you'll read those, too. (You can always pause a video if you run out of time to read explanatory notes.)

All text, maps, charts & photos © Hilton Pond Center

Don't forget to SUBSCRIBE to the Center's channel to stay abreast of frequent postings of new videos from the Black Vulture nest at Hilton Pond. (If you DO subscribe, you might want to click on the little bell icon and select "ALL" so you get notifications when a new video is posted.)

Please spread the word about this unusual natural history opportunity--but beware! Watching Hilton Pond Center's YouTube vulture postings is almost as addictive as binging on Netflix or the Hallmark Movie channel!

All text, maps, charts & photos © Hilton Pond Center

HILTON POND SUNSETS
(from our on-going series)

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

Sunset over Hilton Pond, 04 March 2023

Subtle sunset, pastels, with Shagbark Hickory.

All text, maps, charts & photos © Hilton Pond Center

Don't forget to scroll down for lists of Hilton Pond supporters and of all birds banded and recaptured during the period.

Photoshop image post-processing for this page employs
DeNoise AI, Sharpen AI, and other Topaz Labs tools.


"This Week at Hilton Pond" is written and photographed by Dr. Bill Hilton Jr., executive director of Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History

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Thanks to the following fine folks for recent gifts in support of Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History and/or Operation RubyThroat: The Hummingbird Project. Your tax-deductible contributions allow us, among other things, to continue writing, photographing, and sharing "This Week at Hilton Pond" with students, teachers, fellow scientists, and the general public. Please scroll below to the blue section if you'd like to make a gift of your own.

We're pleased folks are thinking about the work of the Center and making donations. Those listed below made contributions received during the period. Please join them if you can in coming weeks.

Gifts can be made via PayPal/Vimeo (funding@hiltonpond.org); credit card via Network for Good (see link below); or personal check (c/o Hilton Pond Center, 1432 DeVinney Road, York SC 29745). You can also donate through our Facebook fundraising page.

The following donors made contributions to Hilton Pond Center during the period 1- March 2023. Some Facebook donations came through a Ashley Kyber's birthday fundraiser in honor of the Center. Thanks, Ash!

  • Anonymous ($17 recurring monthly donation; via PayPal)
  • Barbara Gordon (repeat supporter; via Network for Good)
  • Patricia Jerman (repeat supporter; via Network for Good)
  • Katherine H. Paul (repeat supporter)
  • Teresa Sopher (via Network for Good)
  • The friends below contributed via the "Donate" button on one of the Center's Facebook postings or fundraisers; some may be repeat contributors. Several have set up through Facebook to make a recurring monthly donation to benefit the Center. Many are much-appreciated long-time and/or repeat donors.
    --Tracey Carpenter, Kathryn Kane, Dharma Karki
    * = Past participant in Operation RubyThroat Neotropical Hummingbird expedition
 
If you enjoy "This Week at Hilton Pond," please help support
Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History.
It's painless, and YOU can make a difference!

(Just CLICK on a logo below or send a check if you like; see Support for address.)
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If you like shopping on-line please become a member of iGive, through which 2,000+ on-line stores from Ace Hardware to Zappo's Shoes and even L.L. Bean donate a percentage of your purchase price to support Hilton Pond Center. ..Every new member who registers with iGive and makes a purchase through them earns an ADDITIONAL $5 for the Center. You can even do Web searches through iGive and earn a penny per search for the cause! Please enroll by going to the iGive Web site. There's even an iGive app for your phone or tablet. It's a painless, important way for YOU to support our on-going work in conservation, education, and research. Register Operation RubyThroat: The Hummingbird Project as your preferred charity to make it even easier to help Hilton Pond Center when you shop.

The Piedmont Naturalist--Vol. 1--1986 (Hilton Pond Press)
is an award-winning collection of timeless newspaper columns that first appeared in The Herald in Rock Hill SC. Optimized for tablets such as iPad and Kindle, electronic downloads of the now out-of-print paperback volume are available by clicking on the links below. The digital version includes pen-and-ink drawings from the original print edition--plus lots of new color photos.
All sales go to support the work of Hilton Pond Center.
 

BIRDS BANDED THIS WEEK at
HILTON POND CENTER
1- March 2023

SPECIES BANDED THIS PERIOD:
American Goldfinch--2
Chipping Sparrow--2
Carolina Chickadee--1*
Yellow-rumped Warbler--1
Brown-headed Cowbird--1*
Purple Finch--27
House Finch--2
Eastern Towhee--1*
American Robin--3*
Hairy Woodpecker--1*

* = new banded species for 2023

PERIOD BANDING TOTAL:
 10 species
41 individuals

2023 BANDING TOTAL:
23 species (42-yr. avg. = 65.0)
746 individuals (42-yr. avg. =
1,852.6)

42-YEAR BANDING GRAND TOTAL:
(Banding began 28 June 1982; since then 173 species have been observed on or over the property.)
128 species banded
77,811individuals banded
7,190 Ruby-throated Hummingbirds banded since 1984

NOTABLE RECAPTURES THIS WEEK:
(with original banding date, verified sex, and current age):
Carolina Chickadee (1)
09/17/21--3rd year male

Northern Cardinal (1)
07/27/22--2nd year female

Purple Finch (2)
02/14/19--after 6th year male**
02/25/21--after 4th year male

Downy Woodpecker (1)
08/04/21--3rd year female

Tufted Titmouse (1)
07/03/22--2nd year unknown

House Finch (1)
05/15/22--after 2nd year male

** Notable local longevity for species
*** Longevity record for Hilton Pond

OTHER NATURE NOTES:
--As of 10 Mar, Hilton Pond's 2023 Yard List stood at 45--about 26% of 173 avian species encountered locally since 1982. Our record for one calendar year is 111, reached in 2020 & 2021. (Incidentally, all species so far this year have been observed from windows, porches, or the yard around our old farmhouse!) If you're not keeping a Yard List for your own property we encourage you to do so, and to report your sightings via eBird, where you, too, can be a "citizen scientist!") New species observed locally during the period 1-10 March: Hairy Woodpecker, American Robin, Brown-headed Cowbird.

--Our immediate past installment of "This Week at Hilton Pond" was about our 800th installment and a Sharp-shinned Hawk and is archived and always available on our Web site as Installment #800.

All text & photos © Hilton Pond Center


Oct 15 to Mar 15:
East of the Rockies please report your sightings of
Vagrant & Winter Hummingbirds

(immature male Rufous Hummingbird at right)

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Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History is a non-profit research, conservation & education organization in York, South Carolina USA; phone (803) 684-5852. Directed by Dr. Bill Hilton Jr., aka "The Piedmont Naturalist," it is parent organization for Operation RubyThroat. Web site contents--including text and photos--may NOT be duplicated, modified, or used in any way except with express written permission of Hilton Pond Center. All rights reserved worldwide. To request permission for use or for further assistance, please contact Webmaster.