The Nature of Delaware

By Derek Stoner, Conservation Project Coordinator 

A Ruby-throated Hummingbird nestling, about 15 days old, in its nest at Coverdale Farm Preserve. Image by Derek Stoner, June 15, 2011.

On June 15, I visited the Ruby-throated Hummingbird nest at Coverdale Farm for the third Wednesday in a row.  At this point, the nestling hummingbird is an estimated 15-16 days old and looks much more like an adult hummingbird.   The beak looks to have grown an additional quarter-inch in one week.  Notice the bit of yellow color in the corner of the hummingbird’s beak (the gape flange) that is a common feature of young birds.

The nestling Ruby-throated Hummingbird in mostly-adult plumage, but still showing a few tufts of down feathers on its back and tail. Image by Derek Stoner, June 15, 2011.

In the past week, the pin feathers on the hummingbird’s back grew out and are now fully-formed feathers exhibiting the classic iridescent greenish-gold hue of an adult hummingbird.  There are just a  few remaining buff-colored down feathers on the uppertail coverts, soon to be dropped as the tail feathers grow out and the bird prepares for its first flight. 

Stay tuned for one final update on the hummingbird, before it fledges and makes its first flight!

Share this post with your friends!

By Joe Sebastiani, Seasonal Programs Team Leader and Bob Strahorn, Delmarva Ornithological Society

On May 27, 2011, I conducted a Breeding Bird Atlas survey with Bob Strahorn and Carol Majors for the State of Delaware.  We walked and drove around block 21, which is south of Newark to find evidence of breeding birds.  After birding around the Cooch-Dayett Mills property along the Christina River, we drove past Glasgow High School and noticed Purple Martins flying around the parking lot.  We stopped and did not see any martin houses, and quickly realized they were going in and out of street lamps.

Purple Martins were seen swarming around street lamps at the Glasgow High School. Photo by Bob Strahorn

The downward-facing glass globes looked like they were broken by rock-throwing teenagers or perhaps angry, venting teachers at the school.  At any rate, the vandals created perfect nest sites for the Purple Martins.  Usually in our area, Purple Martins use houses and artificial nest boxes put up for them.  Historically, they nested in rock crevices, old woodpecker holes, and other such cavities.  Many still use these natural cavities out west, but in eastern North America, they are almost completely found nesting in non-natural “martin apartments”.

Here, a male Purple Martin proudly perches on the nest pole with the female incubating inside. I wonder what happens if the lights still work!? Photo by Bob Strahorn

If you conduct a quick google search, you can easily see that Purple Martins are known to do this on occasion, but none of us had ever seen it, or heard of it happening in Delaware.  The oldest record I could find references Purple Martins nesting in electric arc-light caps in Vergennes, Vt in 1897.  (Auk, Vol. XIV, 1897).  Obviously they figured this out long ago, but it is still really interesting to see how adaptable this species is.  Having trouble attracting them to your property?  Maybe this method will work for you!

Another Purple Martin nesting in a broken street lamp, Glasgow High School, DE. Photo by Bob Strahorn

In all, we think there were four pair at this site, plus a pair or two of European Starling using other broken street lamps.  The Delaware Nature Society will be contacting the school to see if they would consider installing a martin box to expand the colony next year.

Share this post with your friends!

By Derek Stoner, Conservation Program Coordinator

A handful of hail stones, some as large as grapes. Held by Shannon, one of the DNS summer camp interns. Image by Derek Stoner, June 9, 2011.

Tonight at about 7:47pm, a fast-moving storm front passed over Ashland Nature Center, unleashing a fury of hail stones in a five-minute span.   In the midst of a training session for summer camp, our group dashed back inside and listened to the loud thwacks of hail striking the roof and windows. 

I ran outside to gather the larger hail stones, some of which were the size of grapes!  The icy cold hail provided a stark contrast to the 100-degree temperature earlier in the day.

Today’s heat wave set the stage for classic late day thunderstorm, and we certainly got a storm, albeit a very brief one.  Hail is one of nature’s most fascinating phenomena and one that certainly leaves an impression– sometimes literally!  The welt on my head is a testament to one hail stone that did not miss me.   We can only hope that the nesting birds and all the other animals did not get injured by the frozen projecticles hurtling from the sky!

Share this post with your friends!

By Derek Stoner, Conservation Project Coordinator

A baby Ruby-throated Hummingbird rests its beak on the edge of its nest at Coverdale Farm Preserve. Image by Derek Stoner, June 8, 2011.

After photographing the Ruby-throated Hummingbird nest two weeks ago on May 24, I returned to the location at Coverdale Farm Preserve early this morning, hoping to find the results of the female’s incubation efforts. 

Peeking inside the nest, I spied a tiny grayish lump!  The baby hummingbird raised its head and emitted a high pitched chirp as I perched above the nest and snapped photos.  Neat rows of “pin” feathers lined the bird’s back and sides.  Based upon its size and feather maturity, I guesstimate the baby to be about 9-10 days old, meaning it hatched on May 30 or 31. 

The fledgling raised its head briefly and rested its beak on the edge of the nest.  The beak is now only about 1 centimeter in length, but by the time it leaves the nest, the beak will be fully-developed at 1.5 to 2 centimeters.  Hummingbirds fledge at  18-20 days, so in the next 10 days there will be lots of growing to do for this baby hummingbird! 

The hummingbird nest is now adorned with dangling oak catkins, providing extra camouflage to hide the nest and baby. Image by Derek Stoner, June 8, 2011.

Another intriguing observation is that the nest is now adorned with several oak catkins, those long yellow-brown male flowers(up to 100,000 in a mature oak!) that produce the clouds of pollen that we are all noticing right now.  I suspect the female hummingbird wove the catkins into the side of her nest as a way of providing additional camouflage, since a few of the sycamore leaves around the nest have fallen off.  A very creative means of decoration and disguise!

What happened to the other egg?  Did it hatch?  We don’t know for sure, but luckily the one baby hummingbird is alive and doing well.  For great information on Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, I highly recommend the website of Operation Rubythroat, where I am learning more about these amazing birds as I follow the developments at this nest.

Share this post with your friends!

By Derek Stoner, Conservation Project Coordinator

The month of June is here, and with it comes the peak of nesting season for many birds in our region.  The amazing cycle of bird courtship, mating, nest-building, egg laying, incubation, hatching, brood rearing, and fledging is in full swing right now.   

A Ruby-throated Hummingbird nest at Coverdale Farm Preserve, in a Sycamore tree along Burrows Run. Image by Derek Stoner, May 24, 2011.

 

In mid-May, Jim and Amy White discovered a Ruby-throated Hummingbird nest in a Sycamore tree along Burrows Run, in the middle of Coverdale Farm Preserve.   The nest is on a branch about 20 feet above the ground and well-disguised amongst the leaves and lichen clusters.  I took up the challenge of documenting this nest and I’ll leave it to your imagination as to how I obtained this photograph looking down into the nest!

A female Ruby-throated Hummingbird sits on her well-hidden nest in a Sycamore tree along Burrows Run. Image by Derek Stoner, May 24, 2011.

Our region’s smallest bird, the Ruby-throated Hummingbird not surprisingly has the smallest eggs and the smallest nest.  The nest is intricately constructed of plant fibers and smartly camouflaged with lichens.  In order to strengthen the nest, the female hummingbird gathers spider silk and weaves it into the walnut-sized nest.  She then lays two eggs that weigh half a gram each.  It would take 5 hummingbird eggs to equal the weight of a dime!

Stay tuned for a series of stories about nesting birds, as we celebrate the beginning of a new generation of avian life. 

Share this post with your friends!