Date: 4/30/26 5:52 pm From: Jay V Huner via groups.io <jay.huner1...> Subject: [labird] Tom Sylvest's Passing
Friends,
I write two columns for the monthly The Piney Woods Journal. I'm paid for my bird column but not my odds and ends column. I began writing the following odds and ends column last night. I did not know that my friend Tom died last night. As a result, I modified the column a bit today. Perhaps some will find it of interest?
Jay Huner
A Broad-billed Hummingbird and Tom Sylvest
Jay V. Huner
Louisiana Ecrevisse
Boyce, Louisiana
Broad-billed Hummingbirds are very rare winter visitors to Louisiana.
When I did my Louisiana Big (Birding) Year in 2012, I learned through
the on line LABIRD listserv that a Broad-billed Hummingbird was visiting
the Louque home in the St. James Parish community of Paulina. I had come
to know Tom (Thomas Ard) Sylvest some years before. He grew up in the
Great Depression in nearby Natchitoches Parish. Tom had lived a most
interesting life and was a dedicated outdoorsman and birder. He wrote a
weekly column about birds for his local newspaper for many years. He had
relocated to the St. James Parish city of Gramercy adjacent to the
Mississippi River following military service in World War Two and
completion of university studies. He had lived there for decades.
I contacted Tom about a visit as he knew the Louque family. My hunting
club, The Timberton Social Club, is located about 30 minutes from Tom’s
home. So, I just made a long weekend staying at the club and making a
morning visit to see Tom and go along to the Louque home. At that time
Tom was around 86 and still able to drive around the immediate area. [I
began writing this report the night of April 29, 2026. I learned the
next morning that Tom had died that night at 100 years of age. He had
lost his sight over the past year but was able to send me a note
thanking me for a copy of one of my books that I had sent to him. I did
not know about his vision problems.]
When getting ready to go to Paulina, I asked our club manager Bruce
Schwarth who lives in Paulina if he knew the Louques? Of course, he
could see their home from his home. Talk about coincidences!
On my way to meet Tom, I stopped at a Dollar General store and picked
up a 4-pound bag of sugar as a gift for Mrs. Louque to use for her
several hummingbird feeders used year-round. When I met Mrs. Louque in
mid-morning, I gave her the sugar and she inspected the bag closely. She
then remarked that her husband likely had filled and sealed the bag at a
local sugar mill! What a coincidence!
We didn’t have long to wait for the small male Broad-billed Hummingbird
to show up. He buzzed right into a feeder. It’s vivid red bill, emerald
body, and glittering sapphire throat sets it apart from other U. S.
hummingbirds. Most of this bird’s range lies in Mexico and according to
my sources, it reaches mountainous canyons of the southwestern U. S.
during the breeding season.
So, what was a Broad-billed Hummingbird doing in southern Louisiana in
the winter? The native hummingbird in the eastern U. S. is the
Ruby-throated Hummingbird. However, there are at least a dozen
hummingbird species found in the western U. S. Every winter at least
6-10 of these species show up along the northern coast of the Gulf of
America (formerly Mexico). Why? No one really knows the answer to that
question. But, they do show up and banding studies show that some return
for several years to the area. I’ve also recorded Broad-billed
Hummingbird in Lafayette Parish. Several are recorded by different
birders along the Gulf Coast. So, the lesson is clear - keep at least
one hummingbird feeder up year-round.
Tom Sylvest was the ideal man to contact about hummingbirds in the
Gramercy area. For many years, he maintained the state’s winter
hummingbird records. He had relinquished those duties about the time we
went to visit the Louque home but he kept up with records and birders
regularly provided reports to him. Tom chronicled his long life writing
three books. The short titles were “Collard Greens”, “Cornbread” and
“Buttermilk.” I encourage those reading this report to secure copies of
the books. Tom was a proud graduate of Louisiana State University and an
avid Tiger Sports Fan. He was a U. S. Army veteran of World War II and
was a survivor of the Battle for Iwo Jima. He encouraged me to publish
the several books that I have now completed. Many will miss Tom
including this reporter.
