"LATE" DUCKLINGS,
UNEXPECTED TANAGER, AND
TWO PURPLE FINCH ENCOUNTERS

We were a bit surprised the morning of 16 June 2023 to see a mother Wood Duck and a passel of just-fledged ducklings skimming across Hilton Pond. It was almost certainly a second brood for this hen, the first of which likely hatched and jumped at least two months ago. Since we don't usually check our nest boxes following initial fledglings in April--we clean the boxes come fall--we honestly didn’t even know there was another set of eggs being incubated. The hen had been very secretive about coming and going, probably just a couple of times per day at dawn and dusk.

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After spotting the newly launched fleet we circumnavigated the pond to get a closer view and an accurate offspring count. (We confirmed seven--smaller than a typical first brood of 12-15.) The hen did a good job sheltering her brood out of our sight beneath overhanging tree branches along the water's edge, eventually bringing them into the open for a brief moment. We snapped the attached image while the family swam speedily through Floating Duckweed and bubbles from an aerator before again disappearing from view.

If she follows a pattern seen previously, the hen--and any Wood Ducklings able to avoid our ravenous Snapping Turtles--will march overland through the woods to larger impoundments downstream from Hilton Pond. It's a wonder they do this, rather than staying close to home, but the strategy must work: Every February we see Wood Duck drakes and hens courting on the pond, with another crop of ducklings popping out of nest boxes six weeks later.

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

UNEXPECTED TANAGER

Just last week one of our readers was inquiring about the presence of Scarlet Tanagers (SCTA) in the South Carolina Piedmont during summer. We offered our usual response: Summer Tanagers (SUTA) nest every year in our area, but Hilton Pond Center is very near the southern edge of the typical breeding range for Scarlet Tanagers. Although the latter migrate through spring and fall they nest far more commonly north and west of here, so chances of finding a SCTA in York County SC mid-June through August are quite slim. You might know on 15 June 2023--the very day we sent that response to our reader--we mist netted a male Scarlet Tanager in breeding condition!

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The SCTA's plumage (above) was pristine and indicated he was an adult male that must have fledged in 2021 or earlier. His cloacal protuberance was swollen and moist--a sure sign he had sperm ready for transfer to a potential mate. This led us to conclude he was a resident, local nester rather than a pass-through migrant.

This was only the 146th SCTA banded at Hilton Pond since 1982 and the second this year--only about half the 231 SUTA captured thus far. Nearly all SCTA have been caught during migration, so this week's male also countered our saying Scarlet Tanagers are an unlikely summer species in South Carolina's Piedmont. In nature, exceptions are the rule!

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

PURPLE FINCH MIGRATION

Despite our long-term year-round bird banding efforts at Hilton Pond, seldom do our banded birds show up away from the Center. Those that do provide valuable information about how far birds may range from York SC, leading to a better understanding of bird migration--especially for species that over-winter here. (Getting few foreign encounters reported doesn't negate the value of our banding efforts. We've also learned valuable things about resident bird longevity, site fidelity, and behavioral ecology that could not be gleaned except by putting bands on a birds' legs.)

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When we finally do get a report from the Bird Banding Lab that someone elsewhere has encountered one of our banded birds, it's often cause for mixed feelings. Sometimes it means a bander elsewhere has recaptured our bird, read its band number, and released it unharmed. Usually, however, a report reveals some distant person has found a dead bird, perhaps a window strike, a roadkill, or--most sadly--the victim of a feral or free-roaming house cat. (The latter happens far more often than folks might realize.) This week the banding lab reported finders had encountered two dead Purple Finches (PUFI)--good news for our data collecting but bad news for the birds. Both PUFI were banded in at Hilton Pond in mid-winter as red-plumaged adults, meaning the were at least after-second year males at time of banding. Details are below.

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--Purple Finch #2941-70298 was banded at the Center on 14 March 2022 and found dead 27 May 2023 at Camden NY by Tim Miner (see map above). This PUFI was after-3rd-year at time of its northern encounter, about 644 straight-line air miles from York (just east of Lake Ontario). This was our second foreign encounter of a PUFI in New York State. There's no way to know whether this individual was already on his breeding grounds or still headed further north into New England or southern Canada.

--Purple Finch #2831-56529 was banded at Hilton Pond on Groundhog Day (2 February) 2021 and found dead along a road on 17 May 2023. This PUFI was after-4th-year at time of demise and was almost twice further away than the first one, having been encountered 1,131 miles north of York near the Sedgwick River in New Brunswick. This was our fourth PUFI encounter from that Canadian province and was reported by Jennifer Pierce of Larry's Gulch Fishing Lodge.

Although the New Brunswick bird seemed pretty far north, it's not the furthest-ranging Purple Finch we've had reported. That honor goes to a 4th-year PUFI whose final destination was Lewisporte, Newfoundland, about 1,660 miles from Hilton Pond Center!

All text, maps, charts & photos © Hilton Pond Center
(Click on map above for a larger version in a new browser window)

The map above (click on it for a larger , more legible version) shows far-off Lewisporte and the theoretical flight paths of all 21 Purple Finches banded at Hilton Pond Center and reported outside York County SC. Of those, 19 were found dead and two were hand-caught by non-banders and released, apparently after hitting windows. Two PUFI--one at Saguenay, Quebec, and the other at Monastery, Nova Scotia--were killed by cats after traveling distances of at least 1,062 and 1,275 miles, respectively.

All text, maps, charts & photos © Hilton Pond Center
(Click on chart above for a larger version in a new browser window)

With the clear exception of the two Purple Finches found at Laona WI and McKean PA (click on map above), nearly all our PUFI encounters have followed theoretical routes circumscribed in a fairly narrow cone, ending up far to the northeast of Hilton Pond. Although PUFI nest throughout across New England, the Great Lakes States, and southern Canada, we suspect all our northerly encounters were headed toward or already on their breeding grounds within that relatively narrow area.

We further speculate the migratory route of this particular cohort of Purple Finches is strongly influenced by physiographic features in the eastern U.S., specifically the Allegheny Plateau (in yellow on map above) and the Valley and Ridge Province (in orange)--loosely speaking, the Appalachian Mountains. This higher elevation ridge appears to restrict migratory PUFI northeast within the Piedmont and Coastal Plain as they head north and may keep them from moving in a northwestern direction. It's unknown whether PUFI headed for the Maritime Provinces flew overland the whole way or ventured out to sea for part of the trip.

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

Indeed, without radio-tagging it's impossible to plot the exact path of any of these finches, but we imagine the flight lines on our maps do depict a general pattern from Hilton Pond Center to points north. We'd be happy to hear other interpretations readers may have; please e-mail those to RESEARCH. (NOTE: For a complete list of birds banded at the Center and encountered outside York County SC, click here.)

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

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

Sunset over Hilton Pond, 23 June 2023

After days and days and days and days and days (and days) of rain the clouds finally broke this afternoon. We managed to get this
shot before another dark and stormy wave rolled back in.

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

Sunset over Hilton Pond, 25 June 2023

After a super sunny day the sky got really gray on the 25th,
so we were surprised right at dusk to see solar rays breaking
through and lighting the sky. We had to run to get this photo
just before the clouds closed up again. Timing is everything.

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.

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