Journey North Hummingbird Spring 2006

Hummingbird Migration Update: March 23, 2006

Today's Report Includes:

Hummingbird Maps and Data
Latest Migration News: Challenge Question #5
Hummers in Their Habitat
NEW! Comparing Long-Distance and Short-Distance Migrants: Link to Lesson
A Sappy Subject and Something to Try
Discussion of Challenge Questions #3 and #4: A Rufous Travel Tale

Hummingbird Maps and Data

Distribution Map

Rufous
Hummingbird
(map) (data)
Slide show (week-by-week animation)

Ruby-throated
Hummingbird
(map) (data)
Slide show (Watch migration unfold in this week-by-week animation.)

Most data courtesy of Lanny Chambers,
Hummingbirds.net

Latest Migration News

Ruby-throated Hummingbirds: Weather slowed the migration a bit; when you compare the current map to the previous map, what do you notice? Which states are now at the leading edge of the migration? It sounds like Rubythroat arrivals are getting a good welcome: "Saw first one yesterday during a break in the drizzle. Saw two fighting over my one feeder today. Will stop and buy two additional feeders." (Austin, TX, March 20)

Journaling Question

Look at the Rufous range map and also an atlas. What mountain range runs through Oregon? How could elevation influence the Rufous hummingbird migration?

Rufous Hummingbirds: The first Rufous report from Alaska has arrived! “Good morning from spring in Juneau, where I have seen hummingbirds on my way to work two days in a row: March 21 and March 22!” (Linda Smith, Juneau, Alaska)

Meanwhile, why do you think this Oregon sighting includes a comment about elevation?
“I put up a feeder three days ago. First sighting at 7:03 am on March 22. Elevation is about 1500 feet in the coast range.” (McMinnville, OR)

Challenge Question #5:
"The first Rufous has already reached Alaska, while Rubythroats are clustered in Gulf Coast and southern states. Using clues throughout this report, why do you think migration timing is so different for these two species?"

To respond to this Challenge Question, please follow these instructions.

Hummers in Their Habitat

"For the past couple of days, we've seen female Rufous along with Anna's collecting cotton/wool. We have an unusually large number of male Rufous this year. We typically have the spring fly-through, where the males come in numbers to the feeders, but it only lasts for a couple of days. We still have at least a dozen male Rufous. Combined with the Anna's and other hummingbirds, it’s probably close to three dozen hummingbirds. We also have 17 feeders going and 6 very large red-flowering currants that are covered with flowers.” (Waldport, OR)

•How are these hummingbirds interacting with their habitat?
• Why do you suppose the female Rufous are collecting plant fibers?
• Why do you think so many Rufous hummingbirds are attracted to this observer’s yard?

Photo Ray G. Foster

NEW! Comparing Long-Distance and Short-Distant Migrants: Link to Lesson

Click for lesson and handouts.

Do you ever see Ruby-throated hummingbirds in your yard in the winter? How about robins? Ruby-throated hummingbirds are long-distance migrants; they fly up to 2,000 miles between their wintering sites in Mexico and Central America and their breeding sites in the U.S. and Canada. Robins, though, are among the short-distance migrants. Robins migrate with the seasons, but many remain in winter in the southern parts of their breeding range. As the migration season unfolds, explore how the needs, adaptations, and migration patterns of hummingbirds are intertwined. Our student record sheet helps you organize your thoughts. You’ll be surprised at what you discover as the season goes on. Why not start today?

Short-Distance and Long-Distance Migrants: Comparing Robins and Hummingbirds

A Sappy Subject and Something to Try

Rufous hummingbird migration appears timed to follow a “nectar trail” of blooming flowers to fuel their migration. (You read about currant bushes covered with flowers in the Rufuous observation above.) It’s different for Rubythroats. Studies of Ruby-throated hummingbirds on migration have shown that their journey north is NOT timed to match the peak blooming of flowers to feed on along the way. In fact, ruby-throated hummers often arrive in northern areas up to a month before many such plants have even begun to bloom. How do they find enough food to get by? Like the rest of us, hummers "get by with a little help from their friends." Who are their friends? How do they help? How do hummingbirds return the favor? Find out when you click on A Partnership That Works.

A Partnership That Works
The tiny holes drilled by this Yellow-bellied Sapsucker are an important source of sweet fluid for Ruby-throated hummingbirds in early spring.		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?
	Photo Anne Cook

A Surprising Travel Tale: Discussion of Challenge Questions #3 and #4

Photo S. Sorenson

Last time we reported on a rufous hummingbird that wintered in Indiana. Then we shared some hummer facts and asked: What factors can you list that could explain this Rufous sighting in Indiana? What factors could explain the overall increase in Rufous sightings?

Some terrific seventh grade students at Iselin Middle School (New Jersey) thought about the conditions hummingbirds need to survive. See what they said, and then dig deeper with the additional thoughts of experts:

Discussion of Challenge Questions #3 and #4

The Next Hummingbird Migration Update Will Be Posted on March *30, 2006 (* Migration Maps and Data Only).