Salt Lake Tribune, United States – Jun 17, 2014
Blue skies, gentle breezes, the sound of water lapping on a rocky shoreline, magnificent sunsets and storms that blow up on a moment’s notice. These are just a few of the reasons I enjoy island life, and this week I’m on Gibraltar Island in southern Lake Erie. I’m teaching “Ornithology for Teachers” at Ohio State University’s Stone Lab, a field station where students spend more time afield than in the classroom.
The highlight of the week thus far came on a short boat ride from South Bass Island to Gibraltar. I noticed a tree swallow following the boat and landing behind a stout corner post at the stern. The steel pipe is about 4 inches in diameter, and when I investigated the source of the bird’s curiosity, I discovered a 2-inch hole in the pipe about 4 feet above the deck. And inside that hole was a tree swallow nest with several chicks that were at least 10 days old.
The boat captain explained that the parents follow the boat wherever it goes, even when it travels miles from shore. I’ve read of wrens that nested in the cab of a working tractor or even a farm truck, but never a nest that every day might wander miles from port for hours at a time. Obviously it didn’t bother these tree swallows because they incubated the eggs for two weeks and have been feeding young for about 10 days. Furthermore, the captain told me that this is the third year tree swallows have nested in that post. It gives new meaning to the term “mobile home.”
Hummingbird worries
I’ve been getting lots of worrisome questions about hummingbirds. “Where are my hummingbirds this summer? I’m only seeing a few hummers every day.” I’ve gotten this question so many times over the last three weeks, it warrants an answer.
Ruby-throated hummingbirds return to the same area from one year to the next, so unless something terrible happens to your hummers, the population should remain stable from year to year.
One possibility is that last year’s horrific hurricane season could have killed large numbers of migratory birds, including hummingbirds. But it would be difficult to confirm such an occurrence because there’s seldom evidence of the loss of tiny birds.
A more likely explanation is that there is no problem with the hummingbird population at all. I’ve read nothing from the folks who track hummer populations that their numbers are down.
On the other hand, in places that have received excessive rain the last few weeks, people are reporting record numbers of hummers at feeders. Perhaps soft-bodied invertebrates such as aphids, gnats and spiders, hummingbirds’ primary live foods, are more difficult to find during wet weather and nectar feeders become more important.
I think the best explanation of low hummer numbers is that people lose track of what happened in previous years. Hummers return in late April and early May. Males arrive first and females follow about a week later. So a typical feeding station first sees some males and a week later some females. In that first two weeks it wouldn’t be unusual to six to 10 hummers visiting feeders.
But some of those birds will continue farther north, so by late May the number of birds at nectar feeders declines. Then in June, after mating, females begin nesting, and after incubation begins, they visit feeders much less frequently. So the typical early season trend of hummer numbers is a slow increase followed by a gradual decline as females spend more time on the nest.
The peak of hummer numbers is yet to come. As young hummingbirds leave the nest, the population climbs. By late July, most young will have fledged and feeders will be swarming with adult males, adult females and many juveniles. I suspect this is the time and these are the numbers people recall when feeders had to be filled several times each day.
So if you’ve wondered where your hummers are, be patient. The best is yet to come.
Send questions and comments to Dr. Scott Shalaway, RD 5, Cameron, WV 26033, or e-mail sshalaway@aol.com.
