Sun and clouds mixed. High 89F. Winds light and variable..
Some clouds. Low around 65F. Winds light and variable.
Susan Campbell delicately holds a hummingbird. Ted Fitzgerald/The Pilot
Susan Campbell inspects a hummingbird during a banding session. Ted Fitzgerald/The Pilot
Susan Campbell. Ted Fitzgerald/The Pilot
A hummingbird has its beak measured during a banding session. Ted Fitzgerald/The Pilot
Susan Campbell delicately holds a hummingbird. Ted Fitzgerald/The Pilot
Susan Campbell’s performance resembles avian microsurgery. She slips a metal band containing a letter and five numbers over a leg finer than a spaghetti strand. The leg belongs to a hummingbird enveloped by a nylon stocking toe. Her grasp must be gentle but firm enough to prevent the tiny bird (about 3 grams — a sparrow weighs about 30 grams) from escaping. The bird’s gender, approximate age and other specifics recorded, Campbell marks its beak with a drop of paint to signal banding, offers a drink of nectar, then places him or her in the outstretched hand of a child. After a few seconds the hummer regains composure and darts upward at 30-90 m.p.h.
Could this be an episode of PBS’ “Sid the Science Kid” filming at Weymouth Woods Sandhills Nature Preserve?
Campbell, with degrees in natural sciences, is all birds, all seasons. She reels off statistics on raptors to robins, cardinals to chickadees.
Susan Campbell inspects a hummingbird during a banding session. Ted Fitzgerald/The Pilot
Each month, she explores bird-dom in “Birdwatch,” a PineStraw magazine column.
Who knew that nighthawks frequent baseball fields because floodlights attract insect prey? Or that Bachman’s sparrows run, not fly, away from predators.
During the summer Campbell holds banding events on Wednesday mornings in the breezeway at the Preserve visitors’ center — a favorite outing for grandparents and grandchildren. While banding the tiny birds captured minutes before and held in a cloth drawstring sack Campbell delivers a fact-filled narrative:
“Breeding season is over now so you see a lot of hummingbirds … the moms and dads are out with their babies,” she explains. Fledglings remain in the nest a relatively long time, feeding on tiny gnats and spiders provided by mom.
“Well, could you live on just Twinkies and ice cream?” Campbell adds.
As for hummingbird husbandry, Campbell explains that the “daddies” don’t stick around, leaving all the work to the “mommies.” Therefore, females are larger and stronger than males, with different markings. “They can even win fights at a feeder,” Campbell continues. Hearing this several little girls squealed and clapped, although 8-year-old Gabby Schilling, attending the event for the second time, expressed a concern:
“Do hummingbirds ever meet their parents again?”
Probably not, although birds banded by Campbell have migrated to Costa Rica and back, flying solo 60-70 miles a day rather than in flocks. Migration will begin when the bird’s brain, sensitive to sunlight, indicates summer is fading.
Susan Campbell. Ted Fitzgerald/The Pilot
About that brain: Hummingbirds have the largest brain per body size of all bird species. Its capabilities negate the “birdbrain” slam.
Hummingbirds display other fascinating, traits, characteristics:
They are the only birds capable of hovering, mid-air, also gliding sideways, backward and upside down.
Because their “toes” are curved they can perch on a twig but cannot stand on a flat surface.
Lifespan: 3-5 years, although Campbell has recorded a 9-year-old female.
Iridescent feathers earn them the name “flying jewels.”
Males display brighter colors and put on a show to attract females, whose leaf-like hues provide camouflage. Females lay only two eggs, each the size of a black-eyed pea.
Hummingbirds have very long beaks yet their tongues are twice as long, all the better for nabbing insects in flight.
But they have no song apparatus, therefore communicate in body language. Their “zing-zing” comes from beating wings. Lack of song has not excluded the birds from poetry, notably an ode by Emily Dickenson, although several dozen more are listed online.
Campbell’s fascination began when, as a teen, she fished with her father near a bird sanctuary in Cape May, N. J. Her interest in identifying species led to a degree in biology at Hobart and William Smith Colleges in upstate New York, then to Cornell, finally a master’s degree in zoology from N.C. State University. She worked at the North Carolina Museum of National Sciences in Raleigh, where “I found a world of the likeminded.”
After moving to the Sandhills she served as a research affiliate for the museum.
“(Birds) became a passion very quickly,” Campbell says. “They are such a diverse group of organisms. I am aware of birds every waking minute — they are an integral part of my life,” starting with birds at her yard feeder: “I know each one personally.”
A hummingbird has its beak measured during a banding session. Ted Fitzgerald/The Pilot
As such, she notices their adjustments to climate change: In the spring, birds head north earlier but do not return to Central America until the first push of cold air, which now occurs late in October. However, she has discovered a population of non-migratory ruby-throated hummingbirds on Hatteras Island, which extends into the warm Gulf Stream, allowing insects to survive through winter months.
“It’s never too late for feeders,” Campbell suggests. However, she warns against prepared nectar, which may contain additives, preservatives and potentially harmful red dye. Instead, she recommends stirring 1 cup sugar into 4 cups water until dissolved. Clean feeders thoroughly between fillings.
“I hear stories about hummingbirds hovering outside a window when the feeder is empty.” However the best way to attract the tiny birds is to plant flowers (preferably the birds’ favorite red) that provide natural nectar while attracting small insects favored by hungry hummers.
“Hummingbirds appe ar to be extremely fragile but they are tougher than we realize,” Campbell says. “There’s so much about birds that we still don’t know.”
Contact Deborah Salomon at debsalomon@nc.rr.com.
Your comment has been submitted.
There was a problem reporting this.
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language. PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK. Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated. Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything. Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person. Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts. Comments that violate any of the rules above are subject to removal by staff.
Please purchase a subscription to continue reading. Subscribe today and support local community journalism.
Get unlimited digital access and support award-winning local journalism, for just 9.50 +tax a month. This includes access to the electronic replica edition of The Pilot.
As a print subscriber, you also have unlimited digital access. Connect your account now.
Our best deal: Get all the news of Moore County delivered to your home each Wednesday and Sunday — and receive unlimited digital access to thepilot.com.
© 2020 All contents © The Pilot LLC. Contents cannot be reproduced or used without express written consent of the publisher. Please read our TERMS OF USE and our PRIVACY POLICY.
Physical Address: 145 W Pennsylvania Avenue, Southern Pines, NC
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 58, Southern Pines, NC 28388 910-692-7271 Fax:910-692-9382
Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.
Check your email for details.
Invalid password or account does not exist
Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.
An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the e-mail address listed on your account.
Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.
A receipt was sent to your email.