[Bristol-Birds] Fw: hummingbird survival this winter
- From: "Wallace Coffey" <jwcoffey@xxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "Bristol-Birds" <bristol-birds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 20 Jan 2010 16:16:55 +0000
-----Original Message-----
From: "Legrand, Harry" <harry.legrand@xxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Wed, 20 Jan 2010 08:36:04
To: Dwayne Martin<redxbill@xxxxxxxxx>; John Fussell<jfuss@xxxxxxxx>
Cc: carolinabirds<carolinabirds@xxxxxxxx>
Subject: RE: hummingbird survival this winter
Actually, don't be fooled by the US hummingbirds into thinking that this family
(well over 300 species, all in New World, of course) is a "warm weather" group.
In the Neotropics -- Mexico south into Argentina/Chile, the MAJORITY of species
are montane, and quite a few dozen occur around treeline and even into the
paramo/puna zones (treeless). The Amazon basin and other lowland areas are
comparatively depauperate in hummingbird species. In the higher area of
Ecuador, for example, you can easily find a dozen or more species at feeders
over 10,000 feet, such as a spot above Quito.
So -- hummingbirds in general are species of temperate/cool/cold climates, not
hot climates. It doesn't overly surprise me that they can withstand very cold
temperatures here, because they can and do go into torpor overnight.
Harry LeGrand
-----Original Message-----
From: Dwayne Martin [mailto:redxbill@xxxxxxxxx]
Sent: Wednesday, January 20, 2010 7:56 AM
To: John Fussell
Cc: carolinabirds
Subject: Re: hummingbird survival this winter
I have gotten word from several Hummingbird host around the Catawba
Valley and all report that "their" hummers (all Selasphorus) have made
it fine through the cold spell. These are indeed hardy little birds!
Dwayne
*************
Dwayne Martin
Hickory, NC
redxbill@xxxxxxxxx
http://www.naturalsciences.org/nchummers/
Catawba County Park Ranger
Riverbend Park - Conover, NC
jdmartin@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
http://www.catawbacountync.gov/depts/parks/
http://www.weatherlink.com/user/riverbendpark
http://www.ncbirdingtrail.org/TrailGuide/Guide_CatawbaValley.pdf
On Wed, Jan 20, 2010 at 6:54 AM, John Fussell <jfuss@xxxxxxxx> wrote:
> How have hummingbirds fared during the recent cold?
>
> I got a call from someone in the Morehead City area that her hummingbirds
> "disappeared" during the worst of the cold--probably not a good sign.
> However, everyone else I know with hummers (all Ruby-throateds that I know
> of) report the birds apparently did fine.
>
> The recent cold was very persistent, maybe some of the most persistent I
> remember (below average every day for about 2 straight weeks), at least in
> recent years. On the other hand, it did not get severely cold (I think 22
> was the official low in our area) and there was not a single day that it did
> not get above freezing. Further, almost all of the cold days had bright
> sunshine, providing some mild microclimate effects. In the middle of the
> cold period, on one of the less cold days, I watched hummers in my yard
> darting after tiny aerial insects.
>
> John Fussell
> Morehead City, NC
> jfuss@xxxxxxxx
>
>
>
>
Other related posts:
- » [Bristol-Birds] Fw: hummingbird survival this winter - Wallace Coffey
