Where have all the Ruby-throats gone in the Midwest? I recently talked to Vern Kleen, ecologist , bird bander and originator/coordinator of Illinois annual hummingbird festivals. His personal opinion follows: Birds were late in arriving this spring; it seems that males were quite scarce (and continue to be). Many hummingbirders reported females arriving before males (suggesting something catastrophic may have happened to the males). Reports received indicate that first arrivals stayed for a short time and then all disappeared. Then, a second influx gradually arrived (mostly females) and continued to increase. Reports continued to suggest that the number of birds were still arriving in late May through early June and still in low numbers. Over the past four weeks, Ive banded 850 birds and at most places, surprisingly, captured record numbers with a very high percentage being females. The actual numbers visiting feeders at most of the banding sites at any one time seemed low, but after 2 to 2 and one-half hours of banding, the numbers were much greater than visually suggested. So, even though the numbers seem low, they havent been. And, with an excellent number of females, 2014 may be a very productive year for young birds. (FYI - Ive already banded two young birds). On one day I captured 199 birds and on another 259 birds (which suggests birds are in good numbers). Vern Kleen
Posted on: Wed, 09 Jul 2014 16:39:55 +0000
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