[humband] Re: skunked ! - and a question/survey

From: Fred Dietrich <fdietrich@xxxxxxxxx>
To: humband@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Date: Fri, 28 Oct 2022 15:19:23 -0400

Hi Anthony,
20 years ago the feeder was the only choice for winter birds here in Tallahassee, Florida. It usually took less than 15 minutes to catch the bird.
Now as a result of our success with letting people know there are winter hummers here, everyone has feeders and lots of flowers for the birds. It’s not unusual for it to take an hour + to catch the bird.
Last year I had at least 50 withering birds here but only was able to band 24 of them.
I have used this trainer setup since 2001 and it has really helped. They quickly figure out how to come and go. When they come to the trap it is comical (when they go in) it’s like they say “I can figure this out”.

It’s a 48” section of 1/2” hardware cloth folded into a 14x10” rectangle with two open sides. I usually leave it with the host until the bird uses it regularly but have taken my trap down, set up the trainer and after the first visit put the trap back up and caught the bird.
Not much I can do if the bird uses close by feeders or flowers.
Good luck,
Fred DietrichTallahassee, FL
Sent from my iPhone

On Oct 28, 2022, at 2:40 PM, Rusty Trump <rusty_trump@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

Hi Anthony,
If it is still warm and the first frost has not taken the flowers down, I will only give it 30 min or so. Especially, if the bird makes a couple passes but is trap shy and has so many options to feed. As other have suggested you could use a trainer trap. I usually would just wait after the first frost and then the bird usually will be much more cooperative.
Take Care,
Rusty
Rusty Trump Gainesville, GA
From: humband-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <humband-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> on behalf of Allen Chartier <amazilia3@xxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Friday, October 28, 2022 10:53 AM
To: humband@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <humband@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [humband] Re: skunked ! - and a question/survey Anthony,
Congratulations on your success rate so far, and this being your first miss :-). My own success rate is very high in November, December, and January, when there are no flowers, and fewer insects to compete for the bird's attention. During those months, my average wait time for a Rufous to go into my trap is 5 minutes. September and October is a completely different story. Last year I had 2 misses, and one that took me 3 tries to catch. The first miss, in September, was an adult male that zipped in and out of the trap, avoiding the dropping door. It did not return despite a 2 hour wait. Another attempt would have been made as this bird was only 2 hours away, but it was never seen again after my trapping attempt. Another adult male, this one in late October, did what your bird did. It made a couple passes around the trap and then went away, never to return in the 2 hours I waited. Another attempt was not in the cards as this one was 5 hours away. Last week, that same homeowner reported an adult male Rufous, so I am risking waiting until November this time.

The one that I tried for 3 times was only 2 hours away and on my first attempt in late September zipped up to the trap and turned tail straight into the extensive flower garden. It made one more pass about 15 minutes later, and then was only seen about once every 45 minutes in the flowers after that. I waited 2 1/2 hours that day. In October, this bird again made one pass by the trip within minutes of setup, and then took off out of sight, not returning to the yard during the 2 hours I waited. My third attempt in mid-November saw a completely brown garden, which made me happy. And the hatch-year female Rufous went into the trap within 10 minutes of setup. She wasn't banded, so thoughts of her hesitance being due to previous trap experience was unfounded. Neither of the adult males described above were banded either, based on excellent photos taken by the homeowners.
So to answer your question about how long to wait for a Rufous, for me it depends on the situation...the bird's behavior, time of year, temperature, condition of the garden, etc. My longest wait that resulted in success was 3 hours, but it was somewhat accidental that I was there that long. It was early December, I think, in a residential area in Columbus, Ohio. The home had a central courtyard with a few, but not many plants, and a single feeder. I had agreed to be interviewed for a TV show with a friend with whom I'd done interviews before. Several other observers were present inside the home, waiting for the bird. The skies were overcast and the temperature was in the upper 30s. No bird after 1 hour. I talked with Jim about all kinds of hummingbird stuff and we continued to wait. At the 2 hour point, with still no sighting of the bird, I declared defeat and that I was going to give up. But, as I like to talk, and so does Jim, I didn't get around to taking the trap down when suddenly, just around the 3 hour mark, the bird showed, and popped right into the trap! Clearly, there was another feeder in the area as this was not a rural setting with abundant resources, and all the gardens were brown by then.

Allen T. Chartier Inkster, Michigan Email: amazilia3@xxxxxxxxx Photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mihummingbirdguy/collections/
Website/Blog: http://mihummingbirdguy.blogspot.com/

On Fri, Oct 28, 2022 at 10:13 AM Anthony Hill <anhinga13@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

Hi Colleagues,

Yesterday I experienced my first time being skunked by a Rufous/Allen's here in New England. This bird has been regularly visiting a feeder at a coastal Massachusetts location for about a week, and I sat for 90 minutes waiting for it to go into the trap. It made 2 passes near my setup within the first 20 minutes after I sat to wait, and after that was just flying around the yard. Because this is a coastal New England location there are still lots of hummingbird-friendly plants in bloom and the bird was visiting them instead of the feeder. The homeowner reports that it will go to her feeder regularly all day at 20-30 minute intervals and tolerates her sitting quietly 10-15 feet from the feeder.

So my question is how long do people typically wait in a situation like this. With my other Selasphorus in New England, the bird usually is back near the feeder very soon after I set up, and in the trap within 20-30 minutes. As noted, I sat fo 90 minutes and I'm wondering how long is a reasonable time. Because of other commitments and wanting to avoid the worst of the weekday traffic, I left at about 1245 p.m. and of course I'm told the bird was back at the feeder after I left.

From the photos I think it's an HY/M RUHU; the host hasn't caught any tail photos yet. I'm somewhat intrigued by the apparent 'trap-phobia' and wondering if it had prior trap experience and maybe is already banded. None of the photos show anything that might suggest a band, and the host doesn't have useful binoculars or a spotting scope.

I look forward to hearing your thoughts, similar tales, what have you.

Thanks very much.

Anthony (in Massachusetts)

Anthony Hill
Certified Trainer, Passerines and Hummingbirds
Co-Chair, Hummingbird Working Group
North American Banding Council (http://www.nabanding.net)

Coordinator, Appledore Island Migration Station (http://appledorebanding.org/)

Member, Board of Directors, Kestrel Land Trust (https://www.kestreltrust.org/)

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References:
- [humband] Re: skunked ! - and a question/survey
  - From: Rusty Trump

[humband] Re: skunked ! - and a question/survey

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