Our Texas Banding Team (Susan Beree, Bron Rorex, Jeff & Suzie Ross, and Brent & Sue Ortego) made their 2^nd trip to Mega Feeding Stations in the Texas Hill Country 17-18 May 2008.  The weather was generally cool and conditions were very nice for catching birds.  We trapped and banded birds for 4-hours at each ranch. 

We used 2 Russell Traps (mist-net tent) at the Burditt Ranch and caught 354 BCHU.  They are feeding 4 gallons of sugar water per day with a large bee population consuming an unknown portion of the food.  We estimated the population at this site to be 2500 based on the ratio of recaptures to new birds.

We used 1 Russell Trap, 1 Hall Trap (drop trap), and 2 passive 6-meter mist-nets at Matter Ranch and caught 137 hummers and 64 songbirds.  They are providing 1 gallon of sugar water per day and we estimate they are feeding about 800 hummingbirds.

We used 2 Russells and 1 Hall trap at the Wiedenfeld Ranch and caught 333 hummers while they were feeding 2 gallons of sugar water per day.  We estimate they are feeding about 1350 Black-chins.

Many females (40%) had worn tail tips from feeding young or eggs visible within their bodies.  Seven young hummers were caught which is just the beginning of this year’s crop of hummers.  Ruby-throats were passing through in small numbers.

We caught a hummingbird wearing somebody else’s band at the Burditt Ranch and we are checking to determine its history.  We also caught one of Sue Wiedenfeld’s birds taking advantage of the hummer resources on the Matter Ranch which is about 7 miles across the hills.

SPECIES                                                BURDITT              MATTER              WIEDENFELD

BCHU male                                            190                          82                            149

BCHU female                                        164                          54                            183

Ruby-throat                                          0                              1                              1

Golden-fronted Woodpecker                 0                              1                              0

Ladder-backed Woodpecker                 0                              1                              0

B-c Titmouse                                       0                              4                              0

Chipping Sparrow                                0                              3                              0

Field Sparrow                                      0                              5                              0

Lark Sparrow                                      0                              2                              0

N. Cardinal                                          0                              8                              0

Painted Bunting                                  0                              9                              0

House Finch                                       0                              15                            0

Lesser Goldfinch                                0                              20                            0
 
 
Brent Ortego
near Raisin, TX

This entry was posted on Monday, May 19th, 2008 at 6:17 pm and is filed under Banding, Hummingbirds. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.