Last week I had the rare privilege of observing the banding of a Rufous Hummingbird, in the dead of winter, here in the Piedmont region of North Carolina. Although still rare here, I had heard of sightings of this type of hummingbird in past wiinters. They breed in Southern Alaska, Western Canada and Western US, and overwinter in Mexico, but recently, they have shown up in the mid-Atlantic region. So when I saw him in my yard, I knew what it meant and called Bill Hilton, Jr. Executive Director, Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History and Operation Ruby Throat to invite him to come and band him Bill has banded over 5,000 hummingbirds but this was my first time watching the process and it was a great experience. If you ever have a chance to participate in one, I encourage you to do so. It was hard condensing 90 minutes of tape down to less than 6 without leaving out a lot of the “good parts”, but I hope you enjoy it.
Smell Like Dirt
In Spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt.” Margaret Atwood2 Comments»
Sonia Paulish wrote @
I thoroughly enjoyed the article in the Charlotte Observer, and the video… I know Bill Hilton from several years ago… he is a remarkable person.
Thank-you for sharing such a gift of life…
Sonia
Smell Like Dirt 
Amazing CBJ. I wonder if doesn’t need a humming bird festival?