SEAR Blog – Updates!

It’s been a hot minute since I posted a new blog.  Time has marched on as it often does without ceremony.

We had a good winter hummingbird season.  Traveled all across Tennessee, banding these special hibernal visitors.  By January 15, 2025, we had banded 13 in total; mostly Rufous hummingbirds, a couple late Ruby-throats, ending the season with a female, Black-chinned hummingbird in Kilmichael, Mississippi.  It’s always a pleasure meeting all our wonderful hosts, enjoying their hospitality for an hour or two and getting updates from them through the season.

Spring finally arrived and our ruby-throats made a slow return.  Here at our place, our first male appeared on the latest date ever for a spring return and then it was weeks before we finally saw a female.  Currently our numbers are steady and normal for this time of the year.

Meanwhile our banding schedule has been set, and preparations are well underway for our two additional research projects that will run concurrently this summer.  More on those in a future post.

However, sadly all could come to a screeching halt IF proposed action by the current Administration to eliminate and defund the ENTIRE Ecosystems Mission Area, which would shutter the Bird Banding Lab, come to fruition.  This would immediately put an end to our research. No BBL, no banding authorization.  But that’s just the tip of the ‘iceberg’ as defunding would also put an end to the Breeding Bird Survey, research on seabirds and avian (and related human) infectious diseases (like avian flu). Research and monitoring that provides vital information on a host of other plants and animals, including fish and other aquatic life, and insects especially pollinators like bees and Monarch Butterflies.  Programs important to wildlife management, affecting hunting and fishing, will be seriously affected as well if the Ecosystem Mission Area is eliminated.  In other words, this is a broad-based threat that will affect not just birds and our research but hunting, fishing, and agriculture.

So, what can be done?  Personally, I’ve written letters and sent testimony of the importance of the work we do.  Many others within the research community has done the same and you can do it too if you’re so inclined. We’re not asking for ‘more’ we’re just asking to be kept open and funded at the same level we’ve operated with for years.

For now, we continue on.  Breeding bird studies are being conducted, hummingbird bands are being made, and we’re proceeding as if life was ‘normal’.  Time will tell if we’ve been heard and if we can continue to do this important work.

The 2023-24 Winter Hummingbird season will conclud on March 15^th.  So far it has been a slower than normal season for winter hummingbirds in our permitted areas.  We had a total of 9 sightings and were able to get 6 of those individuals banded.  At this point we hypothesize that the continuing severe drought and fires out West are impacting all species including hummingbirds.  We received reports from our western colleagues of many failed nests, and the early departure of many adults.  Time will tell if this trend will continue.  We’ll be watching closely.

The 3 sightings of the hummers that went ‘unbanded’ took place in Columbia, Germantown and Millington, Tennessee.  All 3 of these birds were either one-day wonders or left before arrangements could be made to travel and band them.  But thanks to photography we have their presence documented.

We were however able to band 6 winter hummers of three different species in 3 different states this season.  In Tennessee we had an adult female Rufous in Madisonville, a very late juvenile female Ruby-throat in Clarksville and a SY male, Black-chinned hummingbird in Germantown.  In Mississippi we banded a juvenile male Rufous and a juvenile male, Black-chinned hummer on the same day in Jackson.  And finally, we banded a young female Rufous in Murray, Kentucky in early December.

Of note was our adventure in Germantown at the home of TOS member, Sarita Joshi where we banded the SY male Black-chinned.  We visited her yard on January 6^th and as the snow and ice began to set it a few days later, Sarita sent me a picture of a SECOND winter hummingbird which we confirmed was a female Selasphorus hummingbird, most likely rufous.  Unfortunately, that bird was only seen and photographed on one day and weather conditions prohibited us form traveling back down there.  But thanks to Sarita’s quick camera skills, we have pictures of both the rufous and the black-chinned hummingbirds feeding on the same feeder!  Truly an exciting and first time happening for SEAR!

Please keep watching those feeders as migrants begin moving back to their breeding grounds. And as always, many thanks to everyone who maintained a feeder all winter and for those hosts who called and allowed us to come band their special guests.  We couldn’t conduct our research without you.

Cheers!

Cyndi Routledge

As humans, we naturally want to provide for what we love including wild birds that visit our yards and bring us pleasure. Hummingbirds top that list.  By now we hope you know the most important aspect of feeding wild creatures is to do it correctly as to not bring harm.  In the case of hummingbirds, keep feeders clean, keep nectar fresh, never add red dyes or additives and make your own nectar using the recommended 4 parts water to 1 part cane sugar.  Sugar water feeders have the potential of attracting orioles and once you’ve seen the bright yellow/orange of this beautiful bird you want to provide for it as well.  Grape jelly and orange halves are the food of choice when it comes to feeding orioles.  But is it safe to have jelly feeders in plain few if you’re trying to attract hummingbirds and feed them too??  This question has been proposed many times this spring, so I thought I’d address it here with a common-sense approach.

It is never a good idea to feed any wild animal artificial sugars or flavorings as it has the potential of making them ill.  So before dishing up any jelly read the label.  If it contains ANY artificial sweeteners or flavorings DO NOT to use it.

Additionally, it is best to use a feeder designed for orioles when putting our grape jelly and place them away from your hummingbird feeders.  This will not stop hummingbirds from seeking them out because hummingbirds will be attracted to the jelly not only for the sweet treat but also the insects the jelly will attracts.  It is important to hang them where you can watch and monitor them.  Why?  Well hummingbirds have weak feet and griping a slippery surface is difficult for them.  If they inadvertently slip into unattended jelly it will result in grave consequences if you’re not watching and quickly rescue them.

A good rule is to NEVER use random dishes of jelly and the smaller the ‘lipped’ dish the better.  A saucer of jelly may work for an oriole, but not for a hummingbird. Use common sense and always ask yourself, “is this container ‘safe’ for my hummers?”  If the answer is no, or you don’t know, then don’t use it.

Instead, use fresh orange halves. They are a much safer choice. Orioles love them, they attract small insects which hummingbird love and you’ve all but eliminated the potential for a hummingbird disaster.

**Photo credit to Raptor Education Group and KUDOS for the great rescue and rehab!