Hummingbird Migration Update: March 24, 2005

Today's Report Includes:

• Latest Migration Maps and Data
• Rufous Hummingbirds Heading Inland?
• Rubythroats Welcomed in Gulf Coast States
• A Sappy Subject: Challenge Question #4 and Something to Try
• Timing is Everything: Challenge Question #5
• Field Work While You Wait
• Habitat and Survival: Through a Hummer’s Eyes
• Serve Up Some Help
• Early Year for Rufous Migration? Discussion of Challenge Question #3

	Distribution Map
Rufous Hummingbird (map) (data) Most data courtesy of Mike Patterson, Neawanna Wetland Ecological Observatory		Ruby-throated Hummingbird (map) (data) Most data courtesy of Lanny Chambers, Hummingbirds.net

Rufous Hummingbirds Heading Inland?

Mike Patterson sends us news on the rufous migration from his study site at Oregon's Neawanna Wetland Ecological Observatory. This week brought fewer than 20 sightings compared to last week’s nearly 50 sightings. They included a late one from San Quintin, Baja, Mexico--our first report from the south of the border. As already reported (data only report) two rufous hummers had reached Alaska--both beating previous records by at least 5 days! (How long until the first will be seen in Juneau?)
Mike says, “Reports from Vida and Zigzag the Oregon Cascades suggest that we should start seeing reports from the east side soon, particularly along the Columbia River. We'll see if the change in the weather to more normal March conditions has any effect.” In flower news, Red-flowering Current and Black Twinberry are in full bloom now on the north coast of Oregon. Salmonberry is running a week earlier than previous counts, but is still about 10 days from peaking at the Warrenton transect. Blooming "wild" Blueberries were reported from Ketchikan—where the first (early!) rufous already arrived March 16. Click here for more information on Mike’s study tracking rufous hummingbirds.

Debra King's sign to welcome back the rubythroats is a yearly tradition in Meridien, MS.

It sounds like the rubythroat arrivals are getting a good welcome:
• “We had one "wintering" rubythroat all winter and now we have one new arrival...plenty of blooms from various tropical and semitropical plants, trees, shrubs in our older (1950s) neighborhood for hummingbirds to enjoy before their trip north.” Ft. Lauderdale, FL

• “I saw him feeding on the red trumpet honeysuckle, then perching next to the flower. Later flying from flowers to feeders--claiming his territory.” Gautier, MS

• “They're back! At 6:45 AM March 15. Very chilly morning after a warm day yesterday, I spied it on the honeysuckle. I can’t be sure this is first day he showed up...I've had my feeders up since March 1st (cleaning them, of course).” Each year Debra King of Meridien, MS fills more than 8 feeders a day for hungry hummingbirds. She also puts out a welcome sign to announce their arrival!

• A Partnership That Works
  

After you read "A Partnership that Works," come back and send us your answer to:

Challenge Question #4:
"How do ruby-throated hummingbirds survive when they arrive before any flowers are blooming?"

(To respond to this question, please follow the instructions below.)

Try This! Using binoculars, look very carefully at the top branch tips of different kinds of trees. Do you see any with tiny insects swarming at the newly running sap? Can you find any birds up there?

Challenge Question #5:
“Why are Rufous hummingbirds able to start their journey north so much sooner than Ruby-throated hummingbirds? Look at the distribution map above, consider their food, and try to give two reasons or more.”

(To respond to this question, please follow the instructions below.)

1. Keep your eyes open for the first flowers to bloom in your area. Are any flowers available now? In your field notebook, record the dates each type of flower becomes available. (Remember to include flowering trees, even apple or cherry blossoms.)
2. See if you can predict when hummers will arrive in your area, based on the readiness of their habitat. Then keep a lookout to the south and report when they arrive!

Jackie's yard is good hummer habitat. Photo Jackie Allison.

Habitat and Survival: Through a Hummer’s Eyes

Jackie Allison shared with you her molting rufous hummer photos. She reminds us that her native flowers and shrubs were the likely reason he chose her California yard to stay during his molt. “As you already know,” says Jackie, “so much devastation to California's environment is taking place daily. Between the rampant wildland fires and the bulldozing of non-burned wildlands for fear of future fires, this little rufous hummer could have been in dire straits for sustenance, searching and searching for areas of past migrations that were no longer there. I wish we could witness through his eyes what he saw on his Journey North.” Take a moment to image it for yourself. Next time you hear of storms, mudslides, forest fires, or forest cutting for new housing areas or malls, think about the critters that may have depended on those areas for habitat or migration stopovers. And then:

Female rufous. Photo Laura Erickson.

Serve Up Some Help

During this critical time of year, hummingbirds are always on the thin edge between death and survival. Your hummingbird feeder may mean the difference between life and death for a hummingbird too close to the edge to make it on its own. And after humming along the migration trail, your hummers will arrive hungry! Hummingbirds are BIG eaters. No animal on earth has a faster metabolism: roughly 100 times that of an elephant. Hummingbirds burn food so fast that they often eat 1.5 to 3 times their body weight in food per day. In order to gather enough nectar, hummingbirds must visit hundreds of flowers daily. Just one day of cold temperatures or bad luck finding flowers can mean death. That's why you'll want to welcome your hummers with some good calories and a helpful habitat. Easy instructions are just a click away:

• Link to Unpave the Way for Wildlife Project

Rufous male. Photo Jackie Allison.

Early Rufous Migration? Discussion of Challenge Question #3:

"If the first migrant Rufous hummingbird (Oregon/Washington/BC) was reported Jan. 2, when is day 70 (the peak in normal years)? When is day 90 (when the main movement west of the Cascade Mountain Crest has happened)? Do you predict this year's Rufous migration will continue as one of the early ones? Think about possible setbacks, and explain your prediction."

If January 2 is Day 1, then Day 70 is March 12, and Day 90 is April 1, as 7th graders Ammie, Krishna, and Maninder from Iselin Middle School calculated. Yes!

Will this year's migration continue as one of the early ones? We asked the question before the first hummingbird arrived in Alaska. Birds can often do things differently than what we predict, especially when there are so many variables, such as weather and flowers, that can influence the results. As Ruchika, Hillary, Nikita, and Shannon from Iselin Middle School pointed out, "the time of migration depends on when the Rufous hummingbird stops to rest and/or eat." It can be tricky to find food in a snowstorm! Iselin Middle School 7th graders Ammie, Krishna, and Maninder noted that "if the weather goes bad or if the plants don't grow yet, that could definitely set back the migration process."

Based on the early rufous arrivals in Alaska, it looks like the migration is going to be early despite the snow!

IMPORTANT: Answer only ONE question in each e-mail message.

1. Address an e-mail message to: jn-challenge-humm@learner.org
2. In the Subject Line of your message write: Challenge Question #4 (OR #5).
3. In the body of EACH message, give your answer to ONE of the questions above.

The Next Hummingbird Migration Update Will Be Posted on March 31 (data only).

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