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Magnolia Plantation and Gardens
BirdWalk
Newsletter 5.21.2017
Walks conducted by Perry Nugent
Newsletter by Jayne J. Matney Photo above by Ricardo Adami
“Have you ever observed a hummingbird moving about
in an aerial dance among the flowers – a living prismatic
gem…it is a creature of such fairy-like loveliness as to
mock all description.” W.H. Hudson
______________________________________________
A bird of the Americas,
hummingbirds, are our little fairies
of the gardens and forests; they are
almost anywhere in the western
hemisphere where you can find mild
weather with flowers offering
nectar. Classified under the family
Trochilidae, these magical gems of
the air usually only measure
between 7.5 and 13 cm (3 to 5
inches) in length, yet they rapidly
beat their wings at up to 70-80 times
Photo by Cary McDonald per second, and have the highest
metabolism of any animal besides the flying insects! The manner in which they
eat, fly, and look are only the beginnings of the traits that capture our fascination.
These birds eat insects rich in nutrients and nectar rich in sugars, for energy. Tree
sap and pollen are other supplemental treats. The beaks are usually long, slender,
and curved downward and can be quite flexible. According to the Defenders of
Wildlife website, the long tongues which they possess can lick up to 13 times per
second.
“Flight” and “hummingbirds” seem to be synonymous. Flight is one of their
specialties. They can outfly them all! There is not a direction they cannot move,
they can even fly upside down, and they can start and stop on a dime. Their
notorious hovering technique is studied by scientists and engineers alike. With
the use of slow motion photography, the hovering technique illustrates a figure
eight pattern of their wings. So their wings tend to be small, but can rotate in the
socket in specialized patterns without harming or stressing the joint and the
needed muscles. Hummingbirds are, after all, named for the humming sounds
they make due to these rapid wing beats. Unlike most birds, they do not “launch”
themselves off of branches; their wings do all of the work.
Photo by Cary McDonald
Hummingbirds tend to be colorful birds, showing an iridescence to those feathers.
The magnificent coloring of hummingbirds, especially the males, is primarily for
courtship and territorial reasons. Colorations range from bright emeralds, reds,
purples, golds, and blues. Whether to attract their mate or to discourage others in
their territory, these colors are used for cues to the others in their area. In
addition to color cues, behaviors are very distinct when it comes to hummingbird
interaction. Territorially, hummingbirds can be very aggressive to other
hummingbirds and to birds of different types as well. They have even been seen
chasing of falcons if they feel the need. Of course, the males are going to take
advantage of their expert flying skills to attract females. Male hummingbirds are
known to dive over prospective mates at outlandish speeds (see fun facts) and
using aerial displays for her while making vocalizations such as chirps, squeaks,
whistles, and buzzing, and feather sounds such as chirps and high pitched sounds
coming from the feathers. Many of the high pitched sounds are made by tail
feathers or wings due to airflow at such a great speed.
Photo by Cary McDonald
Besides their eating practices, incredible flight speeds and patterns, and gorgeous
coloration, these birds have proven to have incredible eye sight. Since they
cannot waste any time and extra energy in locating food, their vision along with
exceptional brain processing function, due to speed at which they fly, they can
maneuver quickly with intense spatial resolution. These birds can also see parts of
the ultraviolet spectrum of light and they make use of cues and landmarks along
the way. Therefore, their flight for food is not a random or chaotic method for
hunting their food. Don’t be surprised if the same hummingbirds come back to
your feeder or garden from past years expecting the same prize. It has been told
that they may appear before you are ready, looking for your feeder in the same
location it was presented in past years. They will show up at old haunts expecting
the feeder to be ready and available when they arrive! In South Carolina, it is
recommended to put out feeders by mid-April.
While watching hummingbirds, you may only hear parts of their song because
much of it may be out of our hearing spectrum or range. They also produce
ultrasonic waves which are thought to aid these birds in catching insects in mid-
air.
Even though hummingbirds have so many wonderful aspects to their morphology
and behaviors, there are a few disadvantages for hummingbirds.
Because their metabolism is so high causing their heart rates, oxygen intake,
breathing rate and body temperature to be high as well, their life expectancy is
lower than many other birds. The hummingbirds of our state are generally
expected to have a life span of 3 to 5 years, if they live past the first year.
Depending upon the specific species, longevity records are somewhere between
9 and 12 years. In addition, hummingbirds have a disadvantage when it comes to
their feet and legs. They have short legs and small feet, which only allows for
perching and shuffling around on a branch. So they will not hop or walk by normal
standards. Contrary to what most people believe, these tiny birds actually perch
most of their day. Another disadvantage for them is the fact that they must have
ways to conserve energy since they expend so much in food gathering. So they
have adjusted by going into torpor states which can decrease their metabolic rate
and therefore other bodily functions to “give it a rest”. This is a sort of daily
hibernation for them.
A limitation for these tiny birds is winterizing which is very important. Because
they are so incredibly small and metabolize at high rates, they cannot have a
range that includes cold weather at any time. They would not survive harsh
winter weather. Therefore, most winter in the tropics. Our more prominent
hummingbird, the Ruby-throated Hummingbird, winters between Mexico and
northern Panama.
Photo by Cary McDonald
There are over 300 species of hummingbirds and 12-17 of those are known to
summer in North America. According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, the Ruby-
throated Hummingbird is “eastern North America’s sole breeding hummingbird.”
Hummingbirds range from latitudes of southeastern Alaska and southern Canada
to southern Chile depending upon the species. They are found all across the U.S.
and in the Caribbean. They are lone travelers, so you will not see them migrating
or living in flocks like many migratory birds. This also affects the tendency to see
them in wide ranges, but few and far between unless they are enticed with food
products. Some of the southern South American birds actually migrate northward
during the summer months.
Hummingbirds look for habitat that will provide constant supplies of food and
good temperatures. Their favored habitats are tropical and subtropical forests,
open deciduous or mixed forests, meadows, grasslands, parks, gardens, and
backyards. There is much talk about destruction of these habitats affecting the
overall population of these birds. Once the hummingbird finds a suitable place for
nesting, the pair will mate, then the male migrates away while the female is left
to do the nest building, incubating, and rearing of the young. Typically the nest is
a cup-like structure of mosses, lichen, small soft plant fibers, and leaves and the
mother will press and smooth the surfaces with her neck and chest. Sometimes
spider webbing is used as well to give the nest some flexibility in size and shape.
They are typically located 10 to 90 feet above the ground and are camouflaged
and can take anywhere from 6 to 10 days to complete. The gestation period is
anywhere from 13 to 22 days and the clutches are small (1-3 eggs). Egg size and
color vary from species to species. Once the young hatch, they are fed small
arthropods and nectar from the beaks of the mother. The young will start to show
an interest in flying between 18 and 30 days.
In South Carolina, the most prominently seen hummingbirds are the Ruby-
throated and Rufus Hummingbirds. However, other hummingbirds have been
seen here as well. According to “Hummingbirds Found in South Carolina” by
Beauty of Birds’ website, those which have been the more sighted here in South
Carolina are: Ruby-throated (native), Rufus, Broad-billed (accidental vagrants),
Buff-bellied (accidental vagrant), Blue-throated (rare vagrant), Black-chinned (rare
vagrant), Calliope (rare vagrant), and Allen’s (rare vagrant).
Where do hummingbirds fit in to our world? Upon close examination of fossils, a
few have been recovered despite the fact that their bones are so tiny and fragile.
Fossils have been recovered in Brazil and the Bahamas from the Pleistocene. Two
hummingbird fossils were recovered from the same clay pit south of Heidelberg,
Germany and tucked away until a scientist by the name of Dr. Gerald Mayr
located it in a drawer at a museum in Frankfurt. It was estimated to be 30 million
years of age. There are differences in the taxonomy placement of these birds.
Traditionalists prefer them in the order Apodiformes with the swifts while many
current taxonomists prefer them in their own order- Trochiliformes. Either way,
they have captured our interest and hearts. Historically and culturally,
hummingbirds have symbolized vigor, energy, fertility, skill, and the warrior spirit-
especially in the Aztec culture. Wikipedia explains that the Aztec god of war was
depicted as a hummingbird and fallen heroes as hummingbirds or butterflies in
their returning life forms. Helmets were constructed with hummingbird-like heads
and shields were decorated with hummingbird pictures on them. One of the
“Nazca Lines” that are seen from aerial photography in the earths’ landscapes
depict something similar to a hummingbird. The countries Trinidad and Tobago
use the hummingbird in their coat of arms and money, while the airlines coming
out of the Caribbean use hummingbirds as their emblem.
Our Ruby-throated Hummingbirds saw a steady increase in populations between
1966 and 2015 when the North American Breeding Bird Survey was done.
Partners in Flight estimate the population to be approximately 20 million in
number. Ironically the downfall for these birds tends to be the fact that we want
to provide food through feeders to attract them. The placement and style of the
feeders is critical. They can be easy targets near the feeders for cats, and they can
fall victim to hitting windows of the house if feeders are placed near them. The
more aware we can be about these feeders, the better off the hummingbirds will
be and our backyard observations of these creatures can be safe for them. We
can actually take a part in their long journeys for migration. Planting gardens
which attract these birds in a natural format can be done if you know which
varieties can benefit and attract them. According to the Hummingbird Society, the
best families of plants are: Abutilon (Chinese Bell Flower, Chinese Lantern, Indian
Mallow, and Flowering Maple), Agastache (Cusick’s Giant Hyssop, Hummingbird
Mint, Threadleaf Hyssop), Aloe, Anisacanthus (Desert Honeysuckle, Flame
Anisacanthus), Aquilegia (Sierra Columbine, Crimson Columbine, Fragrant
Columbines), Caesalpinia (Bird of Paradise, Broadpad Nicker, Yellow Peacock),
Callistemon (Crimson Bottlebrush, Weeping Bottlebrush, Red Bottlebrush),
Chilopsis (Desert Willow), Fuchsia, Hamelia (Firebrush), Justicia (Water Willow,
Shrimp Plant), Kniphofia (Red Hot Poker, Torch Lily, Knofflers), Lobelia (Indian
Tobacco, Fool’s Bane, Vomitwort), Lonicera (Honeysuckle), Monarda (bee Balm,
Oswego Tea, Bergamot), Penstemon (Beard-Tongue), Salvia (Sage), Tecoma or
Tecomaria (Yellow Trumpetbush).
But that does not mean to say that there are not others. You will need to see
where you are geographically and what type of soil is in your area as to what will
give you the best direction for plant types.
Fun Facts!
While in flight, the hummingbird’s oxygen consumption is 10 times higher
than an elite human athlete!
Hummingbird hovering is estimated to be about 20% more efficient than a
helicopter drone.
Hummingbirds have twice the diving speed of a Peregrine Falcon.
The Rufus Hummingbird makes the longest migratory journey known of any
bird in the world of 3,900 miles one way.
A hummingbird’s lower beak bends as much as 25 degrees to enable better
insect capturing.
Many eastern hummingbirds prefer migrating southward across the Gulf of
Mexico rather than along the coastline. They will cross in a single flight
which is about 500 miles and takes approximately 18-22 hours.
Some hummingbirds have been known to place their nests on chain
lengths, wire going into houses, and outside cords.
Calliope Hummingbirds build a series of 2 to 4 nests stacked up on top of
one another.
Costa’s Hummingbirds prefer to build up to 6 nests within a 100 foot radius
and decide which to use according to best protection and which ones to be
mock nests for predator confusion.
Hummingbirds are estimated to have a metabolism roughly 100 times that
of an elephant and therefore consume 1.5 to 3 times their body weight
each day!
Information and statistics gathered from: “Hummingbirds in SC”, Google Search 5.16.2017; “Hummingbird Nest Facts”, Birds and Blooms, George Harrison
and Kris Wetherbee 2017; Ruby-throated Hummingbird, All About Birds, The Cornell Lab of Ornithology; “Basic
Facts About Hummingbirds”, Defenders of Wildlife; “Hummingbird Flowers- The Best 18 Plant Families for
Natural Nectar”, The Hummingbird Society; “Hummingbirds Found in South Carolina”, Beauty of Birds, 2017;
“Hummingbird” Wikipedia 2017.
On Sunday, May 21st, 2017, the eight bird watchers at Magnolia Plantation set out on the trails
to see what the property had to offer them on this particular go around. The highlights of the
tour were:
The Little Blue Heron eggs that were seen in the nest last week have hatched and the
little ones are healthy and active.
Two mommy Wood Ducks and each of their broods were found on Ravenswood Pond.
Mississippi Kite were spotted 5 times on the property. We are not sure how many
individuals were seen, but they are always a beautiful sight.
A European Starling finally showed up this week for
the count.
Two Great-crested Flycatchers were seen in the
Audubon Swamp at the cemetery.
Five Prothonotary Warblers were seen in the
Audubon Swamp. The new location for this year’s
nests are not known.
An Orchard Oriole was found between the exit road
and the Audubon Swamp! First sighting in a long
time!
Others on the List:
Anhinga
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Green Heron
Black-crowned Heron
Turkey Vulture
Black Vulture
Osprey
Laughing Gull
Mourning Dove
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
White-eyed Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
American Crow
Fish Crow
Carolina Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse Prothonotary Warbler and Chickadee
Carolina Wren Photos above by Ray Swagerty
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Northern Parula
Yellow-throated Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird
Orchard Oriole and Carolina Wren
Photos by Ray Swagerty