Tweeters-

This note is not intended to support any speculation on the origin,
dispersal, or displacement of the cute little hummer in BC, it is simply a
bit of anecdotal evidence from my experience with non-seabirds *in*
hurricanes (Hugo and Fran being the most noteworthy). I just thought I'd
bring to your attention that Ned Brinkley, Jim Lockyer and I just published
the first of a two-part article that describes the displacement of birds by
hurricanes and tropical storms in 1996 (Field Notes 51: 818-829). I
witnessed a tremendous fallout of seabirds and shorebirds following the
passage of Hurricane Fran, but among the most unusual sights I saw early
that morning over Jordan Lake, NC, were many tens of swifts and several
Ruby-throated hummingbirds flying low over the water and streaming over the
bridges/causeways. This migratory behavior, especially in the hummers, was
rather unusual, as I've spent hours and hours on those bridges/causeways in
migration and can't remember seeing a single hummer (let alone a half
dozen) before or since. Furthermore, the numbers and behaviors of swifts
were unusual for the location. Ned noticed the same phenomenon in VA, and
without exception, the hummers and swifts he saw were flying *with* the
strong prevailing winds. Like other waifs of the hurricane- terns,
shorebirds, and petrels- the hummingbirds and swifts appeared to be
displaced by high winds in similar fashion. More later (part two of the
article).


Todd Hass, Ph.D.
Snohomish, WA (thass.wilson at mhs.unc.edu)