Rare hummingbird caught, tagged in North Laurel
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A female Rufous hummingbird was spending an autumn morning in Laurel enjoying some nectar from a neighborhood feeder placed there by a kind “bird lady,” Rosalind Jones. She called her neighbor on North 7th Avenue, fellow birder Patti Armistead, and said, “She’s here.”
A few hours later, hummingbird expert and licensed bird bander Emma Rhodes, who had been summoned earlier by Armistead, arrived from Alabama to do her job.
Rhodes, who is co-director of the Banding Coalition of the Americas, set up a trap for the unsuspecting bird and captured it within an hour. Rhodes holds a federal permit to trap, handle, measure, band and release birds for the purpose of research and public outreach.
After capturing the Rufous hummingbird, she carefully examined and measured her (female, 3.6 grams), fastening an identification band on the bird’s right leg. This Rufous hummingbird became the first to be banded in Jones County. The band contains a unique code that will serve as a permanent record of the identity of this tiny creature.
“Like a Social Security number,” Rhodes explained.
Many bird enthusiasts in South Mississippi routinely take down their hummingbird feeders in late fall, believing that all of them leave for Mexico when the season changes. Not so fast, the experts say.
While the familiar ruby-throated hummingbird does fly south for the winter, there are other species of hummingbirds that have been found frequently in the southeastern states, having migrated from western locales. The Rufous hummingbird and the black-chinned hummingbird, in particular, seem to enjoy spending their winters in Mississippi, Alabama, Florida and Georgia, returning to such states as Alaska and Nevada to breed in the summer.
The purpose of banding birds is to increase knowledge and understanding of particular bird species, to record life histories and breeding habits and to encourage public interest in preserving natural environments for wildlife.
The professionals at the Banding Coalition encourage individuals in this area to notify them if they see any hummingbirds between Nov. 15 and March 1. Also, anyone who observes any bird with a band on its leg is asked to notify the coalition by email at emma@bandingcoalition.org.
The BCA is a 501C3 Non-profit organization. Rhodes is a graduate of the University of South Alabama and PhD student at Auburn University.
The website is www.bandingcoaltion.org and the organization can be found on Facebook as Banding Coalition of the Americas.
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