[TN-Bird] Ruby-throated Hummingbirds and Chimney Swifts
- From: woodthrush <woodthrush@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: tn-bird <tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sun, 5 Oct 2014 18:47:58 -0700
Hello
This afternoon, October 5, from 12:00 to 2:15 PM we likely had our last banding
session of the year for Ruby-throated hummingbirds at the Seymour banding
station in Sevier County. Expecting only 3 or 4 birds we banded 13. We had 12
males and one female and they were all hatching year (2014 hatch) birds. Every
bird was bulging with fat and 8 of the males weighed over 5 grams. The normal
weight for a male would be around 3 grams. At that weight I would expect them
to be heading south soon.
I have a chimney swift tower in my yard that they have used for nesting since
2007. While we were preparing for hummingbird banding we could hear swifts
chattering in the tower. I went into stealth mode and peeked into the
observation hole at the bottom and could see a cluster of preening swifts. At
about 11:45 we watched 26 birds emerge from the tower. The tower has been used
for roosting ever since the last of the 2014 birds exited the tower at the end
of July. We are used to 8-12 bird roosting with us but this was an exceptional
number. It was a cold morning but the lateness of the departure was also a
surprise. I always leave for work before the swifts depart but on weekends
when I've seen them it has been around 8:00.
Mark Armstrong
Seymour, TN
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