RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD
RESEARCH at
HILTON POND NORTH
Adult male Ruby-throated Hummingbird
For 40 years back at Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History in York SC we observed and banded Ruby-throated Hummingbirds (adult male above), keeping track of spring arrival and fall departure dates while learning much about RTHU site fidelity, longevity, and population dynamics. Our earliest spring date was 26 March in four different years.
In early 2024, after we moved operations 100 miles north—and to an elevation 2,300’ higher at 3,000’ (see maps above)—we suspected hummers would return somewhat later to upper Ashe County NC, a comparison we were keen to study.
Interestingly, John MacConnell—who in the late 1990s built the earth-sheltered cabin we now occupy—was a birder who gave us a head start on our research by keeping track of those very RTHU arrival/departure dates in which we are interested. After John passed away in early 2023, his brother D. Jack MacConnell pored over John’s notebooks to extract valuable info about historical spring dates for Ruby-throated Hummingbirds at what became our new Blue Ridge Mountain study site. We appreciate Jack sharing with us the following from John's records:
2003 Apr 21—no gender reported
2004 Apr 17—male
2005 Apr 21—male
2006 Apr 17—male (2); female on 21st
2007 Apr 22—no gender
2008 Apr 15—male
2009 Apr 21—male
2010 Apr 15—no gender
2012 Apr 06—male
2013 Apr 19—no gender given
updated 25 April 2025