Hello hummingbirders,
Keep your feeders out!! I know many awesome birders still out there who have
yet to sign up. Please, if you're already leaving your feeders out, let me
know! Remember this is OUR project- for and by the birders of Ohio. See map
for details, and add you location- http://tinyurl.com/27qs4k7
Already, there are at least 13 reported Rufous Hummingbirds in the eastern
US this fall, with two reports of Black-chinned Hummingbirds. PHOTOGRAPH ALL
HUMMINGBIRDS!!! It may look like just a Ruby-throated, but Ohio has yet to
record the near-identical Black-chinned Hummingbird. At least 15 other
states in eastern US have recorded this species.
At this point, 99% of all Ruby-throated Hummingbirds should be gone. This
greatly increases your chances of seeing a rare species if you see a
hummingbird. I don't know if it's more or less probable than a
Ruby-throated. I picked a random year, 2002, and saw that Ohio had 13
reports of vagrant hummingbirds (9 Rufous, 3 unid'ed Selasphorus, 1
Calliope), with almost certainly many more undetected.
So far we have 98 feeders across the state. How many will be visited by a
rare hummingbird? It could be at your house! Of the participants, one feeder
has had a RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD since July, two have had RUFOUS/SELASPHORUS
HUMMINGBIRDS in the past, one had an ALLEN'S HUMMINGBIRD last year, and
another had an ANNA'S HUMMINGBIRD in 2005.
If you'd like to participate in the state-wide effort, all we need is for
you to maintain one or more feeders out until they freeze, and add yourself
to this map: http://tinyurl.com/27qs4k7
If you don't have a Google account, email me, and I can add your location,
which can be anonymously labeled. Thanks!
Good birding,
Sean
P.S. I'm attaching my email from September 20th in case you didn't see it:
Hello,
This year, I'm maintaining feeders at 7 different locations around the town
of Delaware until temperatures are steadily freezing (sometime November).
It's a scheme in an attempt to better understand vagrant hummingbird
patterns, and attract a RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD, or otherwise! I'm mapping where
all my feeders are located on Google maps, at this link:
http://tinyurl.com/27qs4k7
This is a plea to join me in this movement! It would mean the world to me to
get as many people as possible on board. Here's all you have to do:
1. Maintain your feeders for as long as you can. Sometime in November is
ideal, but later is good, too!
2. Go to the map above, and add a location of a known maintained feeder by
following the instructions. Remember, it doesn't have to be your own house,
just if you know of a maintained feeder somewhere. If for some reason you're
unable to do this, you can email me your location so I can add it. Email =
[log in to unmask]
You may need a Google account to edit the map. If this is the case, and you
don't have an account, please email me with the location you'd like to add.
You can still view the map.
3. Report your vagrant hummingbirds!
This is an effort to better understand the pattern of vagrant hummingbirds
in the fall. Birders, this is OUR project. I may organize it, but itıs
really only ~1% of the total effort that will go into it. Itıs all you. This
effort has the potential to give EXTRAORDINARY data that ornithologists can
use to assess what types of locations, if any, hummingbirds select when they
end up in Ohio. Do they stick to rivers? Open areas? etc. When do they
mostly arrive? What percentage of feeders in Ohio will get a vagrant hummer?
The possibilities are endless. While we can start to answer some of these
questions with previous records, a scientific effort is needed.
Also, it'd be awesome to record more winter hummingbirds and more species!
We know they're out there!! Here is Ohio's current list of vagrant
hummingbirds:
Anna's Hummingbird
Green Violetear
Allen's Hummingbird
Rufous Hummingbird
Calliope Hummingbird
This project has been undertaken by the state of Louisiana, and was a WILD
success! Several years ago, Van Remsen, professor of Louisiana State
University, was able to convince his neighbors, fellow birders, etc. across
the state to leave their feeders up after the Ruby-throats had left. The
result? HUMMINGBIRD BONANZA! It's not uncommon for some homes to host over
30 individual western hummingbirds!
In addition to all of Ohio's hummingbirds, LA's state list includes:
Green-breasted Mango
Broad-billed Hummingbird
Buff-bellied Hummingbird
Blue-throated Hummingbird
Magnificent Hummingbird
Black-chinned Hummingbird
Broad-tailed Hummingbird
Admittedly, Louisiana has a more suitable climate to hummingbirds, but that
does not necessarily mean that they don't visit Ohio either. Isn't it very
possible that the White-eared Hummingbird in MI last year came through Ohio?
What about the dozens of records of Black-chinned Hummingbirds (would-be 1st
state record) on the east coast? They're HERE!! We only need to put the
effort forward. Also, it's common belief that leaving your feeders up will
not "stop" Ruby-throateds on migration, so if you're worried about that
please don't worry. Here's a page everyone should at least skim by Louisiana
Bird Records Committee members:
http://losbird.org/los_news_196_01dec3.htm#10
Again, we know they're out there- it's just a matter of stopping them at
your house!
I'm not sure how this project will turn out, but it would mean the world to
me if you could just add your location(s) of a known maintained feeder.
Thanks, and good birding!
Sean
---
Sean Williams, '11
Undergraduate of Ornithology of Dr. Jed Burtt
Ohio Wesleyan University
HWCC 724
Delaware, OH 43015
617-470-4094
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