[va-bird] Re: Winter Hummingbirds

Before I get a nasty email from someone, and having been flamed out of
existence once before for a similar misunderstanding, allow me to offer
a quick clarification:

When I say "how arrogant of people," I am referring to mankind in
general, not to the poster or to any particular person's beliefs or
opinions.

Chris Sloan
Nashville, TN

> -----Original Message-----
> From: va-bird-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx 
> [mailto:va-bird-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Chris Sloan
> Sent: Monday, September 23, 2002 6:15 PM
> To: va-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: [va-bird] Re: Winter Hummingbirds
> 
> 
> 
> I could not disagree with this any more strongly.  Based on 
> current knowledge, this is flat-out, absolutely dead wrong.  
> How arrogant of people to think that they can have such an 
> influence on nature. Hummingbirds will use feeders as a 
> convenient source of food if present, although in most 
> instances, EVEN IN WINTER, hummingbirds feed on insects as a 
> large portion of their diet.  The fact is, when the instinct 
> kicks in, they will leave, regardless of whether they feeders 
> are out or not. If the feeder comes down, and the bird isn't 
> ready to leave, it will simply find an alternative source of 
> food in the area.  Conversely, if the feeder is up, and it's 
> time to go, the bird is going to leave, regardless.
> 
> In particular, Rufous Hummingbirds, which arrive on their 
> breeding grounds in Alaska at times before the ice breaks, 
> are particularly well adapted to cold weather.  Every year 
> here in TN we have several birds that survive throughout the 
> winter, weathering a week or more of sub-freezing 
> temperatures at a time.  Others can adapt, too.  For four 
> consecutive years, we had a female Callipe Hummingbird here 
> in Nashville from October through April - the majority of the 
> year - and I can assure you that it survived some days that 
> even a Massachussets resident would have found bitterly cold.
> 
> I am a licensed hummingbird bander, and I have spent a great 
> deal of time combatting this very myth.  Please, please, 
> let's let it die here, at least as regards this list.
> 
> Chris Sloan
> Nashville, TN
> 
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: va-bird-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> > [mailto:va-bird-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Harry & 
> > Melitta Glasgow
> > Sent: Monday, September 23, 2002 3:45 PM
> > To: va-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> > Subject: [va-bird] Winter Hummingbirds
> > 
> > 
> > I have permission of the author of this posting on the
> > Massachusetts version of va-bird to pass it along to our 
> > subscribers.  While winter in Virginia is nothing like it can 
> > be in New England, the advice is still sound:
> > 
> > It is exciting that several western hummers are in the state,
> > but a note of 
> > caution. Be sure to take your hummingbird feeders down as 
> > October begins, mid 
> > October AT THE LATEST if the weather remains good. A sad 
> > pattern has occurred 
> > all too frequently in MA, where the hosts of these hummers 
> > keep waiting for 
> > the birds to leave....and they don't. Before you know it, the 
> > first frosts 
> > have come, most of the flowers have died, insects are tough 
> > to come by and 
> > that hummer at your feeder is trapped there and will most 
> > likely not survive. 
> > Why these Selasphorus hummers don't move on while the 
> > Ruby-throats do is not 
> > clear. All I can say is that I have had to deal with several 
> > very emotional 
> > folks over the years, well meaning hummer hosts, who have had 
> > to face the 
> > fact that when they now take their feeders down (sometimes as 
> > late as the end 
> > of November and the bird is still there) chances are it will 
> > not survive. It 
> > has not been a pleasant situation. We are not an area like 
> > the Gulf States 
> > where we can expect to maintain hummer feeders outside year 
> > round: it's not 
> > going to work and despite your best intentions, you may in 
> > fact be luring the 
> > bird to it's demise..
> >  Fish and Wildlife (state or national) will NOT issue any 
> > permits to take 
> > these birds into greenhouses. The justly famous Ruffy was/is 
> > a special case 
> > and she (Ruffy) illustrates the problem. Fish and Wildlife 
> > folk obviously saw 
> > this as a very slippery slope and are adamant about not 
> > issuing anymore. I 
> > can see their point, judging by Ruffy's behavior, before you 
> > know it, there 
> > would be a dozen Selasphorus spending winters every year in 
> people's 
> > greenhouses: a very UN-NATURAL state of affairs. After all, 
> > you don't want to 
> > keep Blackpolls indoors. You would rather see them migrating 
> > and on their 
> > way. There are folks who illegally net and keep these hummers 
> > and my advice 
> > is DON'T. Let the birds move on. 
> > We are not sure what we are witnessing here: true natural 
> > vagrancy or a 
> > change in migration pattern aided by humans or a bit of both. 
> > My intuition 
> > says that  small numbers of Selasphorus head east then south 
> > every year, but 
> > weirdly get way-layed by hummingbird feeders. For some damned 
> > reason, many 
> > (not all) stay.
> > So if you really care about the bird itself, take tons of 
> > photos, and then 
> > take your feeders down while the weather is still warm and 
> > there are still 
> > insects aplenty and lots of blooms for the little buggers to 
> > nectar on en 
> > route to their final winter destination. And that means pretty soon.
> > 
> > 
> > Harry Glasgow
> > aglasgow@xxxxxxx
> > 
> > 
> > You are subscribed to VA-BIRD. To post to this mailing list,
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> > send email to va-bird-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with 
> > 'unsubscribe' in the Subject field.
> > 
> > 
> 
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> 

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