True, and don’t forget the somewhat similar overwinter survival of the Rufous Hummingbird outside the American Museum of Natural History a few years back; the last posting I’m aware of for that bird was 3/11/2012.
2011-12 was a mild winter, admittedly, but hummers are hardly a model of cold tolerance (they lack down feathers, lose heat rapidly, and need to go into torpor overnight even in comparatively mild conditions to conserve energy). In any case, don’t sell birds short, provided they have adequate good-quality food. (The question in my mind, aside from availability of small fruits and such, is whether or not they are an adequate substitute for higher-quality insect protein in severe cold, versus in milder traditional overwintering sites.) Rick From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Hugh McGuinness Sent: Thursday, January 08, 2015 7:18 AM To: Orhan Birol Cc: NYSBIRDS-L Subject: Re: [nysbirds-l] Cassins/Couches survival chances? My memory of Tyrannus biology is that all members of the genus become mostly or partly frugivorous during winter, and simply supplement their diet with insects when available. So, their survival in NYC may depend more on the availability of small fruits, for which they are competing with the many Robins and Starlings, than on the availability of insects. Hugh On Wed, Jan 7, 2015 at 10:40 PM, Orhan Birol <[email protected]> wrote: On Sunday I observed both. The Cassins was flycatching nonstop for the 10 minutes I was there. I think the row of low evergreens(boxwood?) on the west side of the community gardens and plenty of shelter in the gardens, may protect it from the cold. The Couches also has enough shelter in enclosed gardens, structures etc. The 10 minutes I was there, it called nonstop but never fed. I have no idea if the insects both feed on will survive tonight. Any thoughts? Orhan Birol Shelter Island -- NYSbirds-L List Info: <http://www.northeastbirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME> Welcome and Basics <http://www.northeastbirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES> Rules and Information <http://www.northeastbirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm> Subscribe, Configuration and Leave Archives: The Mail Archive <http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/maillist.html> <http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L> Surfbirds BirdingOnThe.Net <http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html> Please submit your observations to <http://ebird.org/content/ebird/> eBird! -- -- Hugh McGuinness Washington, D.C. -- NYSbirds-L List Info: <http://www.northeastbirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME> Welcome and Basics <http://www.northeastbirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES> Rules and Information <http://www.northeastbirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm> Subscribe, Configuration and Leave Archives: The Mail Archive <http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/maillist.html> <http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L> Surfbirds BirdingOnThe.Net <http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html> Please submit your observations to <http://ebird.org/content/ebird/> eBird! -- -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
