Bristol Area Birders: Roger Mayhorn asked about info for a Ruby-throated on Clinch Mountains. I don't see why that couldn't be. The birds have been been coming ashore along the Gulf Coast for about a week. But they also have a few that winter. The following forward is a response made to a report of a Ruby-throated in Indiana. It is something to think about. Let's go birding.... Wallace Coffey Bristol, TN ----- Original Message ----- From: "Troy Gordon" Sent: Monday, March 21, 2005 9:08 PM Subject: Re: RT Hummer Already? > I would think it too early for even the earliest (and most likely to die) > ruby-throated hummingbird in Indiana. However, is it possible it was a > Selasphorus hummingbird? I don't think we have any idea at all what path > the Gulf Coast wintering Selasphorus hummingbirds take when migrating back > to their breeding grounds. Logic would suggest a more southerly path, but > to my knowledge, there have been no banding returns during the spring > northwest migration to demonstrate this. > > Selasphorus hummingbirds do migrate in February and March, and it is > possible they pass through the Midwest undetected, since no one that I know > of is looking for them. It would be a perilous journey, as there is very > little to use as a food source except for insects on warm days and random > sapsucker wells (but a migrating bird would not be able to find the wells > readily). > > One year I received a report of a hummingbird in Missouri in February. It > was a report from a non-birder, and was easy to disbelieve, but they were > positive it was a hummingbird. And maybe it was. A migrating Selasphorus > was the best theory I could come up with. > > If you don't like the migrating Selasphorus theory, another possibility is a > hummingbird that wintered over in a greenhouse illegally (please don't try > this at home...) and then escaped on a nice day. If it was a ruby-throated > hummingbird, I'm sure it was doomed as their cold tolerance is less then > some of the western species. > > Troy Gordon > Columbia, MO > > 29 days till "H" day and counting down.... > > -----Original message----- > > Subject: RT Hummer Already? > From: "Dottie, Hickory Hollow, Brown County, Indiana" <yumyumkatts AT > VOYAGER.NET> > Date: Sun, 20 Mar 2005 14:24:37 -0500 > > I looked out the window this morning and I thought I saw a hummer. It looked > like one and flew like one. It was sitting in my sassafras tree where they > like > to sit and then took off. If it was, there is absolutely no food for them > out > there. > > > So when we got home from Church, I put one feeder up--just in case they are > coming in early. I hope I was wrong. But a couple of years ago, a friend who > lives nearby me, reported seeing them about this time in March. Normally, I > put > my first hummer feeder up April 1st. The last two years, I have seen my > first > RT on April 19th. exactly to the day. > > > Dottie, Hickory Hollow > Brown County, Indiana > (50 miles south of Indianapolis) > Lat: 39.371N Lon: 86.261W Zone 5 Elevation: 680 ft ************************************************* BRISTOL BIRDS NET LIST Bristol Birds Net Photo Gallery located at: http://f2.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/jwcoffeyy/album?.dir=/efd5 This is a regional birding list sponsored by the Bristol Bird Club to facilitate communications between birders and bird clubs of Southwest Virginia and Northeast Tennessee. -------------------------------------------------- You are subscribed to Bristol-Birds. To post to this mailing list, simply send an email to: bristol-birds@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx To unsubscribe, send an email to bristol-birds-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the one word 'unsubscribe' in the Subject field. -------------------------------------------------- Wallace Coffey, Moderator wallace@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (423)764-****