Hummingbirds
Hummingbird Migration Update: February 22, 2007

Today's Report Includes:

Please Report
Your Sightings! >>

How did she survive? >>
Photo: Deborah Repasz
The Migration: Maps and Highlights

Distribution Map

Rufous
Hummingbird

This Week's Map >>
Data (for your own maps) >>

Ruby-throated
Hummingbird

This Week's Map >>
Data (for your own maps) >>

Click-and-Print Handout: Today's Hummingbird Map Questions >>

Highlights: Wandering Winter Hummers?
So far, keen observers have reported a just handful of Ruby-throat and Rufous hummingbirds. Most say that these birds were around during the winter, so we don't think we're seeing the start of either migration. Not yet! How might these few tiny creatures survive the winter north of the border? Why are more hummers than ever being reported out of their normal range or season? Join us this week as we explore these questions with photos, slide shows, and maps!
Spotlight: How a Backyard Hummer Got Through the Winter

A hummingbird admirer from Texas tells us that a rufous hummer has spent much of the winter hanging around her backyard. We know that most of them hole up down in Mexico. So this made us wonder,

"How does Deborah's backyard habitat allow her little visitor to survive?"

Please help us figure this out. Here's how:

  • Watch the slideshow. >>
  • Once you've seen it, use this handout to tell us what you think! >>


Use this handout to tell us how you think Deborah's Rufous got through the winter!
Journal Question: Is Your Habitat Ready? Explore! What Do They Need to Survive? >>
  • Do you think that hummingbirds could survive in your backyard or schoolyard habitat today?

Write down your ideas in your Hummingbird Journal >>

Pictures Tell the Story!
More Surprise Sightings: Hummingbirds All Over the Map!

Is this January Ruby-throat sighting for real?
 A Ruby-throat in January in Massachusetts? Rufous hummingbirds in the Midwest and East? What should we make of these unusual reports? Let's explore!
  • Winter Ruby-throat in New England >>

  • Out of Range, Out of Season? >>

Rufous hummers reported east of the Rockies and up North!
This Week's Hummingbird Resources
  • Lesson: Hummingbird Habitat and the Seasons: When Will Our Habitat Be Ready? >>
  • Lesson: A Partnership That Works: Sapsuckers and Hummingbirds >>
  • Reading: Viola: A Rufous Hummingbird's Story (winter Rufous in Minnesota!) >>
  • Hummingbird Migration Journals (click-and-print) >>
  • Hummingbirds for Kids (booklets, photos, videos) >>
  • Inquiry Strategy: Cultivating Keen Observers >>
  • Student Handouts: Cultivating Keen Observers: A Gallery of Student Handouts >>
More Hummingbird Lessons and Teaching Ideas!

The Next Hummingbird Migration Update Will Be Posted on March 1, 2007

 

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