<< Back 11/27/02 Lola’s perch Hummer settles in for an unusual late visit By Don Hendershot Ted and Ann Kirby have an unusual but welcome late autumn guest at their home near Plott Creek in Waynesville. Lola, named by one of Ann’s neighbors, is an adult female rufous hummingbird. The Kirbys have been feeding and enjoying hummingbirds at their current location for the past six or seven years. Ann normally brings her hummingbird feeder in after the ruby-throats leave in October. This year, the Kirbys left their feeder out while visiting Kiawah Island in late October. Around the first of November, Ann noticed a hummer still coming to the feeder. She kept the feeder full and the hummer kept coming. As temperatures continued to drop, Ann became a bit concerned about Lola. She called me a week or so ago and I assured her that if she kept plenty of thawed food out the hummer would make it just fine. With snow blowing around last Friday, I called Ann and asked her if her charge was still present. She said it was. It looked like Lola might be settling in for a protracted visit. I contacted Bill Hilton Jr., director of the Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History, near York, S.C. Hilton has been banding birds since 1982 and is one of only about 70 banders across the country licensed to band hummingbirds. Ann graciously allowed us to invade her domicile about 6:30 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 24. Bill quickly set up his trap, a wire cage approximately 20-by-20 inches square, next to the shepherd’s crook where Ann normally hangs the feeder. About 7 a.m., Bill placed Ann’s feeder in the trap. Ann said the bird was usually right behind her for breakfast, dining between 7:30-8 a.m. We went inside and found a good vantage point to observe the trap. Bill was proud of his new automated trap. The trap had an auto door lock mounted on top and Bill just hits the remote to trigger the sliding cage door. “Much simpler than using monofilament fishing line to trigger a hinged trap door,” he said. The wait began. We sat in the house and chatted and kept an eye on the trap. Seven-thirty passed and no sign of Lola; 7:45 and still nothing. About 7:48 the bird buzzzed to the railing and quickly disappeared. Between then and a little after 8, the hummer approached the feeding area about three more times, but never ventured near the trap. Bill decided alterations were called for. He got some chain from his banding box and hung the trap from the shepherd’s crook. While we were on the deck, resetting the trap, Lola was watching us from her forsythia roost. With alterations in place, we retreated back inside. Soon, Lola was up again; this time more curious. She left, but quickly returned, zoomed to the feeder and began to sip sugar water. A click of the remote and Lola was caught. Views of Lola through the window revealed that she was definitely of the genus Selasphorus. There are two hummers in the genus Selasphorus, rufous (S. rufus) and Allen’s (S. sasin). Of the two, rufous is the more common vagrant. Allen’s has never been recorded from the Carolinas. However, the two females can only be distinguished in-hand. Bill brought Lola inside and explained the series of measurements and observations that would determine Lola’s age, sex and species. Wing, bill and tail measurements plus visual examination of the bill and tail feathers revealed that Lola was an adult female, rufous. Lola was beautiful in the early morning sunlight. Her rufous sides glowed warmly and the sun danced off the metallic spots on her throat. This sturdy animal that had traveled in the neighborhood of 3,000 miles to find Ann’s feeder, weighed in at 3.6 grams. A nickel weighs five grams. Rufous hummingbirds nest from southern Alaska, south to northwestern California and Montana. They winters primarily in central Mexico. The rufous is one of the more common western hummers to winter in the eastern U.S. It has been recorded from about 30 counties in North Carolina. It is more common along the coast and in the eastern part of the state. Lola is the first rufous I know of reported from Haywood County, but I have not had time to do a records search. Bill said they were rare in the piedmont and mountains of the Carolinas. More and more western hummers are being reported from the Carolinas and the rest of the eastern U.S. Bill said researchers are not sure if this is due to a change in hummingbird behavior and/or dispersal or if it is because more feeders are being left up and more people are watching. A dozen species of hummers have been reported from the Carolinas, they are; ruby-throated, black-chinned, rufous, calliope, blue-throated, Anna’s, green violet-ear, green-breasted mango, broad-tailed, broad-billed, Cuban emerald and buff-bellied. Hummers are a favorite of Bill’s. In 1999 he launched Operation RubyThroat, a multi-disciplinary program involving students, teachers and others across the U.S., Canada, Mexico and Central America. “The idea is to use hummers to get kids interested in science,” Bill said. To find out more about Hilton Pond check out www.hiltonpond.org; for info on Operation RubyThroat visit www.rubythroat.org. To report winter hummers email research@hiltonpond.org. When Bill was finished measuring Lola and recording the data, he dipped her bill in the feeder where she drank thirstily. He then passed her gently to Ann, who released her. “Simply, thrilling,” Ann said. Ann has kindly agreed to share Lola with interested birders. To set up a convenient date for viewing, call Ann at 828.452.3164.