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THIS WEEK at HILTON POND Installment #792---Visitor # Subscribe for free to our award-winning nature newsletter (Back to Preceding Week; on to Next Week) |
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(immature male Rufous Hummingbird at right) |
Oct 15 to Mar 15:ELUSIVE DUCKWEED-EATING Rising before dawn on 1 December 2022 we gazed out at Hilton Pond and noticed several objects on the water surface that weren't there the day before. Suspecting they were waterfowl that have been absent since our local Wood Ducklings fledged this past summer, we grabbed binoculars for a better view. We knew immediately they were indeed ducks--but they certainly weren't woodies. Even in still-dim light we could see most had a bright white vertical crescent marking on the anterior of an otherwise gray flank: None other than Green-winged Teal.
All text, maps, charts & photos © Hilton Pond Center We were astounded by this discovery, it being just the second sighting of the species at Hilton Pond Center in 41 years, the most recent on 29 December 2001. (That particular observation was also the most recent chronicled on eBird for York County SC, although green-wings have been tallied on three of 31 York/Rock Hill Christmas Bird Counts.) Green-winged Teal are among the most common ducks in North America, breeding across Canada and the U.S northern tier before flying south in autumn to western states and the southern U.S. However, in South Carolina these waterfowl--the smallest of the dabbling (non-diving) puddle ducks--tend to overwinter not in the Piedmont but in the Coastal Plain where they assemble in shallow bodies of water such as marshes, rice fields, and temporary pools.
All text, maps, charts & photos © Hilton Pond Center In addition to the white crescent, an adult male Green-winged Teal (above, file photo) has a gray flank and back, a chestnut head with an iridescent green eye mask that extends down the nape, and a cream-colored spot on the tail. Brown-spotted females (below, file photo) and immatures lack most of the color of an adult male; they DO have the tail spot and all ages and sexes bear a metallic green speculum (a wing spot more visible in flight) that gives the species its name.
All text, maps, charts & photos © Hilton Pond Center As morning light improved we got out a spotting scope and discovered there were actually five teal in all--four drakes and a hen. They were cruising the pond, sometimes with bills in the water (see top photo), gorging on remnants of the copious Rootless Duckweed colony that smothered Hilton Pond April through November. (We were certainly glad to see THAT activity!) When the sun got even higher we sneaked down closer to the pond with our camera and 400mm lens for a few shots. The teal were still a hundred yards offshore so the top photo is not our best, but we were hesitant to go any further lest we scare these locally uncommon ducks away from their much-appreciated duckweed removal. We suspected those five Green-winged Teal would depart Hilton Pond Center in a day or two at most. They were gone next morning. All text, maps, charts & photos © Hilton Pond Center #77,000, AND COUNTING The afternoon of 8 December we caught and released an adult Chipping Sparrow (CHSP) in winter plumage, of note because it became the 77,000th bird banded in 41 years at Hilton Pond Center!
All text, maps, charts & photos © Hilton Pond Center It was our 53rd CHSP of 2022 and 2,525th since 1982, making up 3.28% of all birds banded locally. Chipping Sparrows are the 8th most common of 128 species handled at the Center--exceeded only by the four "winter finches" (American Goldfinch, House Finch, Purple Finch, and Pine Siskin), Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, Northern Cardinals, and Yellow-rumped Warblers. All text, maps, charts & photos © Hilton Pond Center HILTON POND SUNSETS Noticeable numbers of migrant American Goldfinches (AMGO) finally arrived at Hilton Pond Center in early December, supplementing the very small breeding population that's here year-round. On the 10th we captured and banded 16 AMGO--13 hatch year and three "adults," with nine males and seven females. (That's an adult male in our photo below, showing a yellow "shoulder"--the bend of the wing is actually a bird's wrist--and a partially black forehead. Young males of the year have a black-and-white "salt-and-pepper" shoulder.)
All text, maps, charts & photos © Hilton Pond Center Three Purple Finches (PUFI) the day before made up the largest assemblage so far this season--nothing like our big daily flocks numbering in the dozens in past irruption years. It's not too late, however; most winters PUFI don't start showing up at Hilton Pond Center until after New Year's Day. Meanwhile, resident House Finches are nibbling buds off our Wild Cherry trees. All text, maps, charts & photos © Hilton Pond Center HILTON POND SUNSETS "Never trust a person too lazy to get up for sunrise
All text, maps, charts & photos © Hilton Pond Center Sunset over Hilton Pond, 2 December 2022 We really weren't expecting a sunset photo tonight; Don't forget to scroll down for lists of Hilton Pond supporters and of all birds banded and recaptured during the period. Photoshop image post-processing for this page employs |
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"This Week at Hilton Pond" is written and photographed by Dr. Bill Hilton Jr., executive director of Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History
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