This Week at Hilton Pond

Bill Hilton Jr.
Executive Director
Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History
York, South Carolina 29745 USA

White Hummingbirds: Albinos And Leucistos (22-31 October 2007)

Through our Web sites for Hilton Pond Center and "Operation RubyThroat: The Hummingbird Project," we got many reports in 2007 of white hummingbirds around the country. For a discussion of albinism and leucism in hummers--as well as a gallery of some of the amazing images we received--please visit our "This Week at Hilton Pond" photo essay for 22-31 Oct 2007 at http://www.hiltonpond.org/ThisWeek071022.html.

As always we include a tally of birds banded and recaptured during the period, plus some miscellaneous nature notes and a mug shot of a Cooper's hawk that showed up in our nets. There's also a long comment of the explosion of northern cardinals that has appeared this fall at Hilton Pond.

Figure 1. In leucistic hummingbirds--which are white but not true albinos--the tail often reveals a hint of the bird’s typical markings. Brown areas in the photo above would be green in a normally colored bird. Photograph copyright Bill Hilton Jr.

Final Fall Fling: Butterbutts To Mantids (1-7 November 2007)

When November comes, nature changes gears. It's not winter yet, but summer is definitely over as new birds arrive, plants go to seed, and insects have one "Final Fall Fling." Thus, seasonal change is the topic for "This Week at Hilton Pond" for 1-7 November 2007. To view this latest photo essay, please visit http://www.hiltonpond.org/ThisWeek071101.html.

As always we include a tally of all birds banded or recaptured, and the list is extensive. Of particular interest were some really old white-throated sparrows that returned to Hilton Pond.

Figure 2. The Chinese mantid, Tenodera aridifolia sinensis--an imported species from Asia--can be found in autumn in many areas of the U.S. The insect’s bulbous compound eyes allow it to find and identify prey items such as spiders, bees, and--very rarely--even small hummingbirds. Photograph copyright Bill Hilton Jr.

 Perdita’s Home . . . Again (8-14 November 2007)

That a hummingbird can navigate thousands of miles well enough to return to the same site year after year is one of the true wonders of nature. That a Rufous hummingbird from western North American can find its way to the same feeder for five winters in a row is even more amazing--especially when we realize this species normally spends the cold months in Mexico--not the Carolina Piedmont. To read about Perdita, the wandering rufous, and her fifth consecutive winter appearance in Rock Hill, South Carolina, please visit the 8-14 November 2007 installment of "This Week at Hilton Pond" at http://www.hiltonpond.org/ThisWeek071108.html.

As always, we include a tally of all birds banded and recaptured--a slew of both--plus miscellaneous notes about red-breasted nuthatches and pine siskins that showed up during the week at Hilton Pond.

Figure 3. Perdita (above), a vagrant Rufous hummingbird from western North America, has appeared for five consecutive winters in north-central South Carolina—far from its species’ typical wintering grounds in Mexico. Photograph copyright Bill Hilton Jr.

Nuts About Nuthatches (15-21 November 2007)

Already this year there's been a bumper crop of winter finches in the southeastern U.S. Along with these have come good numbers of red-breasted nuthatches that are seldom seen locally. In fact, we've recently banded all three eastern nuthatches at Hilton Pond Center, providing a nice opportunity to compare these short-tailed bark clingers. For an up-close view of nuthatch similarities and differences, please visit the "This Week at Hilton Pond" photo essay for 15-21 November 2007 at http://www.hiltonpond.org/ThisWeek071115.html.

As always we include lists of birds banded and recaptured, plus some miscellaneous nature notes and a mug shot of a fox sparrow.

Figure 4. The red-breasted nuthatch (above) is least common of the three eastern nutchatch species (Sittidae) to appear this fall at Hilton Pond Center. Photograph copyright Bill Hilton Jr.

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