Corkscrew
Swamp Sanctuary
Along the
Boardwalk
December, 2009 www.corkscrew.audubon.org
Painted Bunting project needs help
The Painted Bunting Observer
Team Project needs assistance with
Painted Buntings. The team is looking
for volunteers to help with a research
study in Florida to develop strategies
to bring the bird’s population up to
healthy and sustainable levels.
“Past data from the Breeding Bird
Survey showed that Painted Bunting
populations had been declining for 30
years, but more recent data and detailed
monitoring indicate that these birds ap-
pear to be on the rebound,” said Dr.
Jamie Rotenberg, ornithologist in the
Department of Environmental Studies
at UNCW. “The good news is tempered
by uncertainty surrounding the causes
for the recent rebound or whether the
population is doing well on both the
breeding and wintering grounds.”
“Florida is unique in that it is the
only one of the four eastern breeding
ground states that also supports a win-
tering population of Painted Buntings,”
said Mike Delany, biologist with the
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation
Commission’s Wildlife Research Labo-
ratory in Gainesville. In Florida, the
team wants to recruit and maintain an
active group of volunteers who can
make observations and collect data at
A female Indigo Bunting forages below the
feeders near the Bunting House (Nov. 10).
Odds & Ends
✔ Corkscrew is now enrolled in the
backyard bird feeders and can help
monitor banded buntings, especially
during the winter months.
Last year, the project had more than
13,000 data hits to its web site,
www.paintedbuntings.org, from volun-
teers in the Carolinas and Florida.
“Already, just from last year’s data,
we may be seeing a winter-range ex-
pansion for Painted Buntings in Florida,
possibly because of backyard feeders,”
said Rotenberg.
Since Painted Buntings readily visit
backyard bird feeders, volunteers can
easily participate in gathering a variety
of data for populations in suburban,
rural, and natural habitats.
Each project-banded bunting has
three pre-determined colors and one
silver band, all easily viewed with bin-
oculars.
The order and combination of col-
ors is unique to the individual bird, al-
lowing observers to identify and dis-
tinguish a particular Painted Bunting.
To become involved in or just to
learn more about the project, please
sign up on the project’s web site,
www.paintedbuntings.org, or e-mail
the Painted Bunting project coordina-
tor at pbot.mns@ncmail.net.
November Sightings
A male Black Bear pauses to look up at motion
on the boardwalk (Art Blatt - Nov. 18 ).
Red-cockaded Woodpecker Safe
Harbor Program. Habitat manage-
ment will commence shortly and
the translocation of RCWs to
Corkscrew may occur as early as
next fall.
✔ Bald Eagles have rebuilt their nest
in the south pinelands.
✔ Audubon of Florida has launched a
new Invasive Species Task Force to
stem the tide of exotic species and
their threat to native wildlife and
ecosystems. Mike Knight, who just
completed is doctorate in biology
with a focus on invasive species
ecology, will be one of the leaders.
✔ The Toyota/National Audubon
TogetherGreen’s Pennies for the
Planet program enters its second
year. The projects being supported in
2009-2010 are Share the Shore (Cali-
fornia), Save Our Soil, (Louisiana),
and Protect Panther Island (Cork-
screw Swamp Sanctuary, Florida).
✔ The Corkscrew Christmas Bird
Count is Saturday, December 19.
Teams spread out in 10 specified
areas in a 15-mile radius identifying
and counting birds and then
meet in the evening for food and a
tally of the day’s observations. To
participate, please see Sally or email
her at sstein@audubon.org.
✔ Consider the nature store for holiday
gifts. Purchases there directly benefit
Corkscrew. New merchandise comes
in weekly, so check out the selection
of clothing, books, and gifts.
A three-month old Panther follows its mother
near the fish farm (Ralph Arwood - Nov. 3).
 In Case a Visitor Asks
Are African (killer) honey bees in Corkscrew? Are they cause for alarm?
According to Dr. Jamie goal of colonies is not to The answer to the second question
Ellis, entomologist at the have lots of bees but to cre- in the headline is, “Not as long as one
University of Florida, eight ate more colonies. European is cautious and uses common sense.”
out of ten wild honey bee bees have three to four Some common sense precautions
colonies in Florida south of swarms per year. The Afri- are to use the same respect with bees
a line from Tampa to can bees swarm 15-20 times as used with snakes and fire ants, never
Daytona are the African per year. approach hive equipment, and never
Honey Bees, often referred Swarming is a colony disturb a swam (with African bees, you
to as the killer bees. So the splitting in two. The new can’t tell if it’s a swarm or a colony).
answer to the first question swarm is comprised of the At-risk groups for bee attacks are
is, “Almost certainly they are old queen and about half of animals that are tethered or restrained
in Corkscrew.” the existing colony. in pens, cages, corrals, etc.; heavy
The only honey bee spe- The African bees have equipment operators; and the elderly,
cies occurring outside of another advantage in that young, and handicapped people who
Asia is Apis mellifera spp. their swarms are much less can’t run away as fast.
No honey bees are native to selective about where a new Dr. Ellis recommended the follow-
North or South America. Tell the difference? No colony is established. ing during a stinging emergency:
European settlers one can by looking. The European bees prefer 1. RUN! Most people can outrun a bee.
African subspecies is at
brought a temperate Euro- the top, the European at to nest in large cavities (they 2. Do not stay and swat; the colony is
pean subspecies of A. the bottom. need a size of a 5-gallon probably close. Attacking bees are
mellifera with them when pail). African bees, on the attracted to movement, so swatting
they colonized the Western hemisphere, other hand, aren’t particular about lo- just attracts more bees. Plus, the
and that subspecies has been the com- cation or size. They nest in the ground, stinger left in the skin emits a pher-
mon honey bee in North America. in utility poles, in water meters, in ome which attracts even more bees
The African honey bee, A. mellifera house siding, and even right out in the (it smells like banana).
scutellata, was first imported to Brazil open – anywhere is fine with them. 3. Do not hide in underbrush; the
in the 1970’s by a beekeeper hoping that Both subspecies defend the terri- colony is probably close.
using a tropical subspecies from Africa tories around their colonies, which is 4. Do not jump in water. Agitated bees
would provide more productive honey the only time the bees are aggressive won’t calm down for up to 30 min-
producers in tropical Brazil. Escaped as a group. But when a European utes, which is longer than people can
queens enabled the subspecies to spread colony is disturbed, on average only 10- hold their breath under water.
north across South America, Central 15 bees attack. When an African colony 5. Seek shelter (building, vehicle). Yes,
America, and the southern and south- is disturbed, 10,000-12,000 bees attack. you will have some stinging bees
western United States in just 30 years. European bees will defend an area with you, but you can limit the num-
It is the most biologically successful up to 10 feet around the colony. Once ber, and once they sting, they die.
invasive species. aroused, African bees defend a territory 6. Call 911
There are no visual differences be- up to 300 yards from the colony. 7. If you see someone else being at-
tween the European and African honey Bees in the colony can detect vi- tacked, yell at them to RUN. If they
bees. The African honey bee is slightly brations in the ground up to 50 feet don’t, do not try a rescue yourself;
smaller and has slightly less venom, but away from the actual colony, and the then there would be two victims.
the two are so close in size and appear- African bees can detect vibrations from Once an attack occurs, survival is
ance that the only way to distinguish is heavy machinery such as tractors up to the only concern. It takes 5-10 stings
to send a sample to the University of 100 feet away. However, colonies lo- per pound of body weight before the
Florida’s lab for dissection. For that cated more than 30 feet off the ground attack may be lethal, so a 100-pound
reason, when a bee colony is close to do not usually pose any sort of risk. person could survive up to 1000 stings.
human activity, the state recommends When bees attack, it’s always to For first aid until 911 responders
that all bees be eradicated by a trained defend the colony. Dr. Ellis said that come, remove the stinger; use an ice
pest control operator. the only defense is to run away as fast pack for just a few stings; for many
What makes the African bee’s as possible. Once out of the bees’ terri- stings, apply a paste of baking soda and
spread so successful is its reproductive tory, the attack stops. Several dozen water for 15-20 minutes or apply am-
superiority over its European kin. The stings will be painful but not lethal. monia; and take acetaminophen.

Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Archilochus colubris
Ruby-throated Hummingbirds
(RTHU) are the most widely distributed
of the world’s 339 species of humming-
birds, all of which only occur in the
Western Hemisphere.
The characteristic humming sound
of each hummingbird species is deter-
mined by the speed of its wing beats.
The extremely rapid wing beats require
high metabolic rates to support hover-
ing flight.
RTHUs measure 3 to 3-1/2 inches
long and weigh just over a tenth of an
ounce. They must eat twice their body
weight each day. Females are on aver-
age 15-20% larger than the males.
Most hummingbirds die in their first
year; those that don’t live an average of
around three years. The oldest known
RTHUs are listed at about nine years (fe-
male) and around five years (male). The
higher mortality in males may be due to
loss of weight during the breeding sea-
son due to the high energy demands of
defending a territory followed by ener-
getically costly migration.
Ruby-throated Hummingbirds are
solitary and adults typically only come
into contact for the purpose of mating.
They breed between March and July,
with mid-May being the height of the
breeding season.
Males return to the breeding area in
the spring and establish a territory be-
fore the females arrive. Males are highly
territorial and communicate with each
other primarily through vocalizations. If
a neighboring male intrudes on a male’s
territory, the resident male emits a single
Profile
Far left: male. Near left: fe-
male. Above, nest with bill
showing. Right: feeding.
note which is repeated at increasing vol-
ume. If the intruder does not leave the
territory, the resident male will chase
him, and if needed, jab him with his bill
or strike with his feet
When the females return, males
court females that enter their territory
by performing courtship displays.
These include erecting their red
throat feathers and harassing the female,
performing a “dive display” by flying
in looping dives above the female’s
head, and if the female perches, flying
in very rapid horizontal arcs about 18-
20 inches in front of the female. During
these displays, the male’s wings can beat
up to 200 times per second (as opposed
to the normal 90 beats per second). If
the female is receptive to the male, she
may give a “mew” call and assume a
solicitous posture with her tail feathers
cocked and her wings drooped.
The pair does not establish a lasting
bond; they separate after copulation and
females provide all the parental care.
The female selects a nest site and
builds the nest which is usually near the
tip of a downsloping branch, below a
leaf canopy, and above a fairly open
area. Nests are constructed of plant ma-
terial held together with spider webs and
pine resin and decorated with lichens.
When the nest is complete, two eggs
are usually laid. The female incubates
them for 10 to 14 days. Chicks are altri-
cial at hatching and leave the nest around
three weeks later. The female continues
to feed the chicks for up to a week after
they fledge. They are sexually mature
around one year old.
Ruby-throated Hummingbirds are
often thought of as exclusively nectar
eaters, but some authorities think of
them more as insectivorous birds that
happen to also eat nectar.
Most nectar contains only sugars
(carbohydrates) and does not comprise
a well-balanced diet. As warm-blooded
vertebrates, hummingbirds need to in-
gest proteins that can be converted into
muscle, feathers, and other body parts.
Fats are also necessary, particularly as
hummers store energy in preparation for
lengthy migratory flights.
The hummingbird’s bill is long and
thin and can open far enough to capture
mosquitoes, spiders, gnats, and small
flies and bees which provide the needed
fats and proteins.
To sip nectar, the hummingbird laps
up liquids just as a dog or cat by rapidly
sticking its tongue in and out, about 2-4
times per second. This action is facili-
tated by feathery edges on the tongue,
which is also split slightly at the tip, al-
lowing the ends to overlap slightly and
make a shallow “spoon.”
At Corkscrew, Ruby-throated Hum-
mingbirds take nectar from a variety of
flowering plants including the different
Tillandsia species for which they are the
primary pollinators.
Fast fact
• At rest, the hummer’s heart beats
about 250 times per minute. When
flying, the heart beats around 1,220
times per minute.