Birding with Jerry Hall: Calliope hummer sighting only part of good news

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The brown pelican is no longer considered an endangered species, removed from that list by the National Fish and Wildlife Service.
Jerry Hall saw the Galapagos tortoise Lonesome George on a 2003 trip to the Galapagos.

November 28, 2009

By Jerry Hall The San Marcos Record Sat Nov 28, 2009, 12:09 PM CST

I have three bits of good news, two about birds and one concerning a tortoise.

First, a calliope hummingbird showed up Nov. 20 at the home of Howard Williams in Dripping Springs.

“Two Novembers ago, it was an Anna’s, last November, the Costa’s and this November a calliope,” he wrote. “I think I have about run out of rarities.”

He sent me photos of the male calliope at his feeder and his good fortune has inspired me to leave my own sugar water feeder up a little longer. I was hoping for an over-wintering hummer, but was about to give up and take it down. I told Howard he must be doing something right.

“Honestly, the only thing I do right is hang a feeder or two – the rest is dumb luck,” he claimed. To attract any hummingbird this time of year is unusual; to have a rare calliope is just amazing. Congrats to Howard.

Second bit of good bird news: The brown pelican is no longer considered an endangered species. It was recently removed from that list by the National Fish and Wildlife Service due to significant increases in its population. There were 12 breeding birds in Texas in 1973. Today, it’s estimated there are more than 12,000 breeding annually.

I love to watch squadrons of brown pelicans fly in perfect formation, just inches above the waves and I also enjoy seeing them dive from on high and — kersplash — go after a fish. Neat birds. Glad they’ve made a comeback.

Third, and finally, there is good news about a tortoise. Lonesome George, the last remaining Galapagos giant tortoise of his type, may soon be a father. This comes after many years of scientists trying to get him to mate.

Described by the Guinness book of world records as the “rarest living creature,” Lonesome George is between 90 and 100 years old, and both the female tortoises kept with him have laid eggs. The eggs, 11 in all, are being cared for in an incubator and scientists should know soon if any are fertile.

George, who weighs 198 pounds, is the only living Pinta Island tortoise. His female companions are of a similar but different species.

I saw George on a visit to the Galapagos in 2003. He was in a corral at the Charles Darwin research center on Santa Cruz Island and he looked perfectly content chewing on some green, stringy vegetation.

Tortoises in the Galapagos were hunted for their meat to near extinction. Also, goats introduced to the islands ate away much of their habitat.

Here’s hoping George becomes a dad. With 11 little tortoises around, he sure won’t be lonesome anymore.

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