[Pollinator] Hummingbirds & Chayote, Part 2

[Bill Hilton Jr. (RESEARCH)]

As mentioned in a recent e-mail, I recently returned from a hummingbird expedition to eastern Costa Rica, where I banded migrant Ruby-thrated Hummingbirds nectaring in commercial fields of Chayote, a squash raised for export and local consumption. My previous post included a link to a day-by-day summary of work done by my group of citizen scientists. The newest installment of "This Week at Hilton Pond" takes a closer look at the 13 hummingbird species we were able to mist net within the Chayote fields; all these undoubtedly play some role in pollinating this important commercial crop. Of interest is how different the sizes and bill structures are among these hummers.

The photo essay is at http://www.hiltonpond.org/ThisWeek111121.html

In the next installment I'll include a more in-depth discussion of the hummingbird-Chayote relationship.

Best wishes,

BILL

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RESEARCH PROGRAM
c/o BILL HILTON JR. Executive Director
Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History
1432 DeVinney Road, York, South Carolina 29745 USA
office & cell (803) 684-5852
fax (803) 684-0255

Please visit our web sites (courtesy of Comporium.net):
Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History at http://www.hiltonpond.org 
"Operation RubyThroat: The Hummingbird Project" at http://www.rubythroat.org

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