Iceland Gull

My daughter called me from Jacksonville Friday, telling me about the Iceland Gull that had been seen at Nassau Sound. Mike and I drove over Saturday to twitch it. When we got to the bridge, there were no fishing boats in sight, so I was concerned about finding the gull. One of my daughter's friends was there on the bridge and pointed it out to me-sitting on the beach with a mixed flock of gulls,etc. At first it just looked like a gray rock, but eventually it got up and moved around, and we got good views.

Carol Miller


Iceland Gull is a rare visitor to these latitudes, they are normally found much further north. In winter they frequent harbours scavenging for scraps around fishing trawlers and boats.

Andy

Broad-billed Hummer

Mary, Susan, Julie (my wife) and I drove to Blountstown today, to see the male Broad-billed Hummingbird that Fred Bassett banded last week. We all eventually saw him, in all his glory, whizzing around the trees catching insects and feeding on Chinese Lanterns. Unfortunately he never came to any of the feeders, which made it very difficult for me to get any pictures in the hour we were present. Glenda Simmons and Bonnie Nielsen paid homage to him on Friday and Glenda managed to get a couple of pictures.

If you have the chance, go see this spectacular bird, he is stonking!

Andy

Hummingbird news

It seems that Fred Bassett got the xmas gifts he was looking for this past week. On 29 December he banded a female Anna's Hummingbird, only the second state record, at the home of Dara and Lloyd Dobson in De Funiak Springs. Then to his delight he got to band a gorgeous male Broad-billed, also the second state record, at the home of Ray and Elsie Dennis in Blountstown. Both hummingbirds are still present and details about how to go see them can be found on the Florida RBA listserv. Click on the following link for details.

http://www.birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/FLRB.html

Fred Dietrich took some pictures of these two exciting rare hummers. View them by clicking on the following links.

http://www.pbase.com/fdietrich/annas

http://www.pbase.com/fdietrich/broadb

I will be there sunday to enjoy these spectacular birds!


If you have a wintering hummingbird and would like Fred to band it then contact us at the store and we can help put you in touch with him. Fred will be back in town next week to band several more wintering hummingbirds.


Andy

Winter Hummer Update

Fred Bassett writes....

Fellow Hummer Lovers,

The unseasonable warm weather has made it tough to catch hummers enjoying all the natural nectar sources, but banding has started to pick up as more hummers show up with some cooler weather. On Nov 27 in Mobile, I banded Black-chinned Hummers at both Virginia Culberson's and Ina Palmer's homes and then banded a Rufous at Sarah Fannon's home in Daphne. My first catch on 28 Nov was Vickie and Ron Parker's second year return Rufous. After all the birds I've banded in her yard, Vickie was thrilled to have a return. I went on to Tallahassee to band a Rufous and a Ruby-throated at Pam Flynn's home. I got off to a good start on 29 Nov banding two Ruby-throated and one Rufous at John and Peggy Armstrong's always wonderful yard. Pam Flynn called about another hummer and I went back to her home to catch a second-year return Black-chinned. That afternoon I slipped off to Alachua to catch Laurie Shelton's Rufous, back for the third winter.
On 6 Dec I made a quick dash to the coast and caught four good birds. I started in River Falls near Andalusia where I banded a Rufous at the home of Runette and Harold Hood. I struck gold near Baker, Florida when I banded a female BROAD-TAILED HUMMINGBIRD.
Mary Ann Friedman identified the species before I got there, and my hat goes off to her for great ID skills. In Shalimar, I banded a Black-chinned at the home of Pat Gross and finished in Mobile where I was surprised to band an immature male ALLEN'S HUMMINGBIRD at Mona Blackmon's home. On Dec 8 just outside Wetumpka at the home of Joanne and Allen Windom, I caught a banded BUFF-BELLIED HUMMINGBIRD at Velma and LJ Britain's home in Mobile. I assumed it was bird banded there three years ago but was surprised to find it was a hummer I banded a few milesaway at Barbara Morgan's home this past March. Good reason to always carefully read the band number. I banded my second ALLEN'S of the season at Ainsley McNeely's home and then banded a Rufous at Ron Rowell's home. In Irvington south of Mobile, I caught a second year return Rufous at Michelle and Mike Miller's home. I finsihed up the day banding a Rufous in Daphne at Nancy and Ken Proctor's home. I'll be back there soon for a second hummer that eluded me.
Early on 20 Dec in Fairhope at David and Carrie Dortch's hummer heaven, I banded a BUFF-BELLIED and watched several other hummers not interested in feeders because of the profusion of flowering hummer plants. At Jim Dickerson's equally wonderful hummer garden in Lillian, I banded a Black-chinned and two Rufous while observing at least four other hummers feastingon flowers and not interested in feeders. I stopped in Pensacola at Glenda Bowman's home to band a Ruby-throated before fleeing to Tallahassee in front of a big storm.
Fred Dietrich and I have been plotting for a month to catchhis extremely shy fifth year return Rufous, and our plan finally worked early on 21 Dec when Fred D. tricked her into a trap. Congratulations to Fred and Patty on Tallahasee's first fifth year return hummer. We are already planning to see her again next winter. A bonus at the Dietrich's was the Fox that tippy-toed through the yard as we waited for the hummer.
I banded a Ruby-throated at Julie and Andy Wraithmell's home and went on to Rachel Bradford's home to band a Rubyt-hoated and a Rufous. John and Peggy Armstrong's great yard provided me a Ruby-throated to band, and Sue and Terry Arthur had a Rufous to band. I finished the day banding a Ruby-throated at Fran Rutkovsky's home.
I'm getting more reports of hummers along the coast and will head down there right after enjoying Chrsitmas. I hope Santa brings you a special hummer, and you will share it with me.

Merry Christmas,

Fred

Ruby-throat

The Fred's came by our house this morning to band our female Ruby-throat, it didn't take long for them to catch her. After her brief ordeal she is now sitting in her favorite sun spot in between short feeding bouts at the feeder.

This is my wife Julie holding our precious Ruby

Let us know if you have a wintering hummer! For more information visit the hummingbird study group website.

http://www.hummingbirdsplus.org/

Merry Xmas & Happy Holidays

Andy

Intro to Digiscoping

I will be giving a talk at the store on Thursday 6 December about digiscoping. The talk starts at 7pm and is free to attend. Hope y'all can make it.

Andy

Winter Hummer Update

Fred Bassett writes....

Fellow Hummer Lovers,

The Link to see the albino Ruby-throated I banded on 28 September is http://www.pbase.com/fdietrich/albino

My much more computer savvy friend, Fred Dietrich, was nice enough to post the pictures for me. We're off to a good start for the season with significant returns of my previously banded hummers. While at Ft Morgan for fall banding, I snuck off on 15 Oct to try to catch Claire Krusko's sixth year return Rufous and got beat like a drum when she teased me but wouldn't quite go in my trap. On my way back to the fort, I stopped by Maud Skiba's home in Magnolia Springs to see about a Black-chinned Maud had reported. The adult male Black-chinned was much more cooperative. It made my day to discover it was my first fourth year return Black-chinned. I banded it 25 Feb 2005 down the street at Reva & Burt Hinson's home. The rain, mosquitoes, and lack of birds ran us out of Fort Morgan on 18 Oct, and I stopped in Loxley at Claire's home and finally tricked her sixth year return female Rufous, Lil Darlin, into my trap. It was great Claire was home to get to hold her very special hummer again. On 25 Oct I went to Tallahassee to talk about hummers and caught Fran Rutkovsky's second year return male Rufous.
I banded my first Rufous of the season 11 Nov at the home of Billie Jones near Luverne, AL and then headed to the coast to see what I could find. On 12 Nov in Spanish Fort, I banded a female Rufous at Gail & Eric Yance's home and went to Pensacola to band a Ruby-throated at Vickie and Ron Parker's home. At first light the next morning, I caught Kay Keighley's female Rufous back for the third winter. It was a treat to get that bird, since she would have nothing to do with me on two previous attempts. That afternoon in Tallahassee, I banded adult female Ruby-throated and Rufous hummers in the great hummer yard of Jody Elliott and Claudia Mason [they live in Killearn..Andy]. Before leaving Tallahassee on 14 Nov, I caught Fred & Patty Dietrich's second year return female Rufous. I stopped in Hartford, AL on the way home to catch another second year return female Rufous at Dick Mowbray's home.
Early on 16 Nove, I zipped over to Columbus, GA to band a female Ruby-throated at Kristi Watkins home and went to Mobile on 17th. I struck out at a couple of homes where hummers were more interested in an abundance of great hummer plants, but the beautiful second year return Buff-bellied at Sandra & Peter Kerr's home made the long trip worth every minute and mile. On 19 Nov, I went to Georgiana, AL to band another Ruby-throated.
I'm getting more reports of hummers as cooler weather brings them to feeders. I expect to get busy after Thanksgiving, so please keep an eye on your feeder and let me know if one shows up at your home.

Thanks

Fred




IF YOU HAVE A WINTER HUMMER WE CAN CONTACT FRED FOR YOU, JUST LET US KNOW.