BILL, et al. . . .
If empty niche is an invalid concept (according to Hutchinsonians),
I've always wondered how House Finches, Carpodacus mexicanus--a
western species released on Long Island NY in 1940-41--were able to
spread so rapidly they now breed across the entire eastern U.S. and
the
We've just returned from a lengthy trip to northern California where,
among other places, we visited the adult home of John Muir at
Martinez. Muir was a giant among American conservationists who
deserves credit for helping get the ball rolling on our national park
system. To read about Muir's
Lots of things about fledgling birds make them look their age, even
when they don't particularly look like their parents. For a photo
essay about what characteristics make young birds look young, please
visit the 1-7 June 2009 edition of This Week at Hilton Pond at
If you've ever wondered where Ruby-throated Hummingbirds go when they
leave the U.S. and Canada, you might want to join us for Operation
RubyThroat's citizen science expeditions in Winter 2010. No
experience necessary!
In January and February we'll take two nine-day excursions to Costa
We're trying to get caught up on our This Week at Hilton Pond
postings after putting together four lengthy Costa Rica hummingbird
banding summaries, so we've combined the first two weeks of March to
make the next installment. This one's about our early March snow, a
Rufous Hummingbird we
Our third week of banding Ruby-throated Hummingbirds in Costa Rica
was our most productive to date--plus we got some dynamite views of
flora and flora we had not seen or photographed before. To view these
images and read about the impressive work of the Gamma Niners, please
visit our 12-21
After almost five weeks in Costa Rica we've just returned from our
annual Operation RubyThroat hummingbird banding expeditions and have
lots to report. An account of the great field work done by our Week
One group participants--the Alpha Niners--is the subject of the
latest installment of This
In general, folks who follow hummingbirds in the eastern U.S. report
fewer vagrants this winter than in some years past. Nonetheless, we
did manage to capture a young male Rufous Hummingbird at Matthews NC,
and that's the topic of our current This Week at Hilton Pond photo
essay. To view our
With the arrival of 2009, we begin our tenth year of This Week at
Hilton Pond photo essays that describe natural happenings in the
Carolina Piedmont and beyond. We hope these musings--of which there
are now 423--have provided information and enjoyment for our Web site
visitors.
Our first
Now that 2008 has ended, it's time for our annual Hilton Pond bird
banding summary--complete with a tally of all species and individuals
banded, photos of some of them, and an analysis of what was different
about our just-finished below average year. For the first time we
also include info
Numerous factors--both good and less pleasant--have slowed our
attempts to achieve regularity in posting This Week at Hilton Pond,
so right now we're playing catch-up. We apologize for the delay.
Our 1-14 December 2008 installment deals with a holiday-appropriate
topic: Red berries that
Here at Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History near York SC
USA there was a massive crop of White Oak (Quercus alba) acorns, with
smaller production from our Southern Red Oaks (Q. falcata).
Local Shagbark Hickory (Carya ovata) and Black Walnut (Juglans nigra)
also had heavier nut
During the first half of November we were away from York SC to
present a paper at the 12th Congress of the Society for Mesoamerican
Biodiversity, held this year in El Salvador. While there we were
asked to lead a workshop on hummingbird banding for a group of
Salvador biologists who
It was inevitable that after 10-plus inches of rain from Hurricane
Fay fungi would pop up all over Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont
Natural History. Little did we know, however, there would be a
veritable Mushroom Rainbow, with all sorts of unusual shades and
hues.
To view our photo essay
During the first half of August 2008, the Carolina Piedmont was
showing effects of a devastating drought; we were especially
concerned about the impact of ever-scarcer water on Hilton Pond
itself and the organisms that depend on it.
For a photo essay on some plants and animals affected by
We're pleased to announce the posting of our 400th installment of
This Week at Hilton Pond--even though this milestone photo essay is
about an invasive plant that has both good and bad attributes.
Indeed, Multiflora Rose looks good and helps wildlife, but it's the
bane of the farmer and those
The fourth and final report on our recent expeditions to Costa Rica
deals with the question of how Ruby-throated Hummingbirds actually
get into Guanacaste Province and the Aloe Vera fields where they
congregate in winter. We hope you'll take at look at the photo essay
and respond to our
The third report on our 2008 Costa Rica hummingbird banding
expedition is now posted. It includes a summary of all our
Ruby-throated Hummingbird work to date in Guanacaste Province, plus a
report on our efforts to find other hummer havens away from the aloe
fields.
If you're interested in
If you like Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, you may be interested in
knowing what these little balls of fluff are doing within their
tropical wintering range right now--as we await their spring return
to breeding grounds in the U.S. and Canada.
The second installment (Week 2) of our recent
After three truly exciting and productive weeks of hummingbird field
work in Costa Rica and a fourth week making presentations in
Washington DC, we're finally back home in York SC and working our way
through our data and photos.
The 22 January-1 February 2008 installment of This Week at
We're a little late in announcing it, but during the first week of
December we reached an auspicious milestone by banding our 50,000th
bird at Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History.
For a description of that bird and a photo essay about some things
we've learned from our long-term
In particular, folks might want to take a look at the Wild Ones Web
site at http://www.for-wild.org . The have chapters in at least 12
states.
Cheers,
BILL
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At 08:28 PM -0500 12/15/07, Carrie DeJaco wrote:
I recently bought a house with a decent sized yard that I am trying
to
Having taught biology (and ecology) at traditional high schools and
also at a residential gifted and talented high school, I'm astonished
by Malcolm's questioning the teaching of ecology at that level. It's
an entirely appropriate time to introduce ALL students to the basics
of ecology, and
When we're asked what sorts of animals prey upon hummingbirds, we
usually answer they just don't have very many predators. We thought
our short list was pretty complete until this week when friends from
North Carolina reported an almost-unbelievable near-predation on a
Ruby-throated
Most anyone who likes nature has wished for the opportunity to soar
like a hawk, but how many folks would like to be able to see like a
hummingbird?
That opportunity is just what we offer This Week at Hilton Pond.
Through our photo essay, we simulate what a Ruby-throated Hummingbird
might see
This Week at Hilton Pond we were pruning a Forsythia thicket when a
sharp pain to the hand led to our discovery of a complex set of
interrelationships between ants, aphids, and larvae.
For an ultra-close-up photo essay about what we THOUGHT we saw and
what was REALLY there, please visit the
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