Journey North Hummingbird Spring 2004

Valid Sighting...or Not? Response to Journaling Question

Valid Ruby-throat sighting, or not?

Q: A hummingbird sighting on Feb. 28 in Cincinnati, Ohio was reported to Journey North's Ruby-throat data base. Decide if you think it’s a valid ruby-throat sighting. List in your journal all the evidence you feel supports your conclusion. Compare your thoughts with those of three hummingbird experts who tell us their interpretation of this outlier sighting. If not a Ruby-throat, what could it be?

Discussion

Bill Hilton Jr. and students

Bill Hilton, Jr. of Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Naural History in York, SC, wrote:

'I don't doubt that the gentleman saw and heard a hummer on 28 Feb in Cincinnatti, but there's little chance that it was a Ruby-throated Hummingbird. Instead, it was likely one of the western vagrant species, probably a Rufous Hummingbird. Some of these western species are known to overwinter in the U.S.

"For some deep background, please take a look at the section on "Vagrant & Winter Hummingbird Banding" on my Web site for Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History.

"With regard to the Ohio sighting, you'll be especially interested in bird #10 on my list of vagrants banded. (Scroll WAY down on the page to the section "57 Vagrant Hummingbirds Banded by Staff from Hilton Pond Center. Then find bird #10.)"

Bill Whan, editor of The Ohio Cardinal, wrote:

"Early ruby-throats arrive here in late April normally. The earliest Ohio record ever is of a bird found dead 29 March. I don't believe any migrating ruby-throats were present in the US anywhere on 28 Feb this year (2004); there were the usual few wintering birds in S. Florida and S. Louisiana as I recall. I think folks in the latter area reported the first ruby-throats coming through only a week or two ago. The report is of a momentary encounter. A mistake--a moth perhaps--must be considered here, for a ruby-throat (the default species in Ohio, of course) is pretty much out of the question at such an early date.

"There are, however, other possibilities. Selasphorus sp. hummingbirds (Rufous hummingbirds) are already on territory out west, and begin migrations in February. An Allen's hummingbird overwintered in New Jersey this winter, and I believe it departed on schedule a couple of weeks ago. We are seeing many more Selasphorus hummingbirds every year---in 2002, and again in 2003, we had 12 or more reports of fall birds of this genus in Ohio. We have no confirmed records of Allen's or broad-tailed, and previous to 2003, only 10 records of rufous hummingbird were known from all of previous ornithological history in Ohio! So it is possible that the observer saw a Selasphorus hummingbird that was on its way to the western breeding grounds, perhaps one of those that overwintered in the east. None has ever been known to overwinter in Ohio, but one did so in Pennsylvania not long ago, and I believe there is an overwintering rufous lingering in the Carolinas now."

Victor W. Fazio, III, founder of the Ohio-Birds website, first Director of the Ohio Winter Bird Atlas 2002-2007, veteran birder of the Ohio and Great Lakes Region and professional ornithologist, says:

"In all likelihood this was a Rufous Hummingbird. Cincinnati has held
several individuals well into January in recent years, and it is not unreasonable to accept that one may have done so this season. Best to treat this as a hummingbird spp. record .... the earliest expectation for the Ruby-throated in Ohio is 8-10 April."

Back to Hummingbird Update for March 11, 2004

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