This Week at Hilton Pond

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


Readers, Bill's trip to Costa Rica is absolutely must reading, especially when you find out what happened to him during the trip. As usual, his photography is superb. So be sure to check in on "This Week at Hilton Pond" using the links below. Editor.

Costa Rica Hummingbirds 2008—Week One: Krazy ‘08s Alpha (22 January-1 February 2008)

After three truly exciting and productive weeks of hummingbird field work in Costa Rica and a fourth week making presentations in Washington, DC, I'm finally back home in York, South Carolina working through our data and photos. The 22 January-1 February 2008 installment of "This Week at Hilton Pond" summarizes our Week One results and includes a ton of photos of hummers, non-hummingbirds, and other flora and fauna, people and places. The write-up may take a while to load, so thanks in advance for your patience; the photo essay is at http://www.hiltonpond.org/ThisWeek080122.html .

There's also a summary of one day's worth of Hilton Pond banding we completed before jetting off to the ruby-throat wintering grounds.

Figure 1. A ruby-throated hummingbird, Archilochus colubris, wearing #C51582 (above) was banded near Liberia, Costa Rica, and recaptured a year later--the first scientific evidence for site fidelity on the wintering grounds for a female ruby-throat. Photograph copyright Bill Hilton Jr.

Costa Rica Hummingbirds 2008—Week Two: Krazy ‘08s Omega (1-7 December 2007)

If you like ruby-throated hummingbirds, you may be interested in knowing what these little balls of fluff are doing within their tropical wintering range right now--as we await their spring return to breeding grounds in the U.S. and Canada. The second installment (Week 2) of our recent hummingbird banding expedition to Guanacaste Province is the topic for the 02-10 February 2008 edition of "This Week at Hilton Pond." The account includes lots of photos of Costa Rican flora and fauna, people and places, so it may take a while to load. I appreciate your patience as you click on http://www.hiltonpond.org/ThisWeek080202.html .

Also included is a summary (through two weeks) of our Costa Rica banding efforts, plus a miscellaneous note about groundhogs and agoutis. A final report on Week Three in the tropics will follow.

Figure 2. Although aloe vera is not native to the Western Hemisphere, it is a major nectar source for ruby-throated hummingbirds (immature male above) on wintering grounds in Guanacaste Province, Costa Rica. Photograph copyright Bill Hilton Jr.

To help support the education, research, and conservation work of Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History, please see http://www.hiltonpond.org/FundingMain.html . Editor.