Hummingbirds
Hummingbird Migration Update: March 27, 2008

Today's Report Includes:

Please Report
Your Sightings! >>

What do creatures like this have to do with hummer migration? >>
Photo: Graham Matthews
The Migration: Highlights, Maps, and Questions

Distribution Map

Rufous
Hummingbird

This Week's Map >>
Sightings >>

Ruby-throated
Hummingbird

This Week's Map >>
Sightings >>

Handouts: Today's Hummingbird Map Questions
Rufous Questions >                Rubythroat Questions >    

Highlights: Hummers Making Headway
"It is always so exciting to have special visits from these marvelous creatures," reports an Alabama observer. After being slowed by winds last week, the rubythroats are steadily gaining ground. Observers in 5 new states just celebrated their return! How have your predictions matched our chart of where rubythroats have landed, and when? >>

It looks like the leading edge of the rufous migration is stalled. Weather might be the culprit. But other factors could affect how the migration appears on our maps. Take a look at today's rufous map. Then look at this map of journey north observers. >> Can you list another reason why the rufous migration might appear to be stuck?

Wherever they are, migrating hummingbirds need energy to fly like the wind, defend food sources, and survive cold nights and crummy weather. Join us this week as we explore what keeps these hummers humming. Then keep your eyes and ears open in your schoolyards and backyards!
Journal: How Does an Early Hummer Find Food?

Did you know that some eager male hummingbirds push north before many flowers bloom? If you were one of them, what could you find to eat? You might seek out sweet nectar in a schoolyard feeder. But there's another trick: You could sip sweet sap from a tree trunk! (Roll your mouse over the picture to see more!)

Question: As a hummingbird, how do you think you could get sap from a tree?

  • Write your ideas in your Hummingbird Journal >>
  • Next, watch today's slideshow to find out!

How could a tiny hummer get sap from a big tree trunk?
Photos: Ed Robertson; Martin Dollenkamp
Slideshow: Fast Food Fanatics?

It takes a lot of energy to be a busy, darting, migrating hummingbird! How do these tiny acrobats find food and conserve fuel on their long journeys north?

  • Slideshow: How Hummers Keep Their Engines Running >>

  • Slideshow Teacher Guide >>
Predict: When Will Your Hummingbird Arrive?

How close to you is the nearest reported hummingbird? When do you think your first hummingbird will arrive? Try finding your nearest hummer on our maps. Next, measure how far it is from you! Here's what you'll need:

  • Here Comes My Hummingbird! >>

  • Weekly Record Sheet >>
Notice: "Ask the Hummingbird Expert" Closes March 28! >>
This Week's Hummingbird Resources
  • Predict: Where Will They Arrive, and When? Making Predictions >>
  • Slideshow: How Hummers Keep Their Engines Running >>
  • Activity: Flowers That Fuel Migration >>
  • Long-term Lesson : Flower-Powered Migration Species: Compare and Contrast >>
  • Experiment: Surviving Cold Nights: Torpor >>
  • Explore: Can Hummingbirds Tell Time? Scientists Discover that Hummers are Brainy >>
  • Video Clip : One Minute with a Hummingbird: What Do You See? >>
  • Hummingbird Migration Journals (click-and-print) >>
More Hummingbird Lessons and Teaching Ideas!

The Next Hummingbird Migration Update Will Be Posted on April 3, 2008.

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