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Hummingbird
Migration Update: April 16, 2009 |
Today's
Report Includes:
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Please
Report
Your Sightings! >> |
A body part that "fits"! What clues do you see? >>
Photo: Russ Thompson |
The
Migration: Highlights, Maps,
and Questions |
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Distribution Map |
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Rufous
Hummingbird
This
Week's Map >>
Week-by-Week Animation >>
Sightings >> |
Ruby-throated
Hummingbird
This
Week's Map >>
Week-by-Week Animation >>
Sightings >>
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Handouts:
Today's Hummingbird Map Questions
Rufous Questions > Rubythroat
Questions >
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Students
from Mexico and the United States exchange hummingbird art
and more! >> |
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Highlights:
Early Birds Push, Masses Move!
"We
saw a ruby-throated hummingbird hovering outside our window this
morning!" report eagle-eyed 5th graders in Stanfield, NC.
The migration is starting to peak in their area and elsewhere
in the South. Further north, some early tiny dynamos landed in
two new states this past week. Can you find them? (The dark orange
dots show the latest reports.)
One
eager observer noticed rubythroat reports in her area, but wondered
why she hadn't seen one yet. Remember, these maps show the earliest
birds, not the masses of migrants. So if you haven't seen a hummer
yet, keep your eyes and ears open. Oodles of them are still pushing
north! And the next few days promise some fine flying weather.
Some
of you talk about your hummingbird being back. One observer
says that when his hummers returned, they checked the wire hanger
where the feeder was last year. Do hummingbirds really return
to the same places each spring? If you were a tiny hummer, how
could you find one little feeder after a thousand mile journey?
Let's explore:
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How
Do They Find Their Way Back? Hummingbird Navigation >>
-
More
of This Week's Observations from Citizen Scientists >>
Out
West, something
seems to be shifting with the rufous migration. Did you notice that
some birds have headed way inland? Were they blown off course, or
is something else at work? You'll discover that secret — and
others — in next week's update!
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Journal:
How
Can You Help Hummingbirds?
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Earth
Day is Wednesday, April 22. It's a time to think about how to best care
for the earth and its creatures. Think about what you know about hummingbirds.
Then use your Hummingbird
Journal to do this:
- List some
ways that human activities might put hummingbirds at risk.
- List 3
ways you might be able to help hummingbirds and their habitat.
When
you're done, learn more!
- How
to Help Hummingbirds and Their Habitats >>
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What
does he have to do with hummingbirds? |
Looking
at Data: The Long Journey (So Far)
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Have
you kept track of rubythroat first arrivals in each state? We have. It's
time to start digging into the data! As you look at your own chart, or
Journey North's Predictions
and Results chart, see what you can learn:
- Show
the Data: Use
a blank
map to show some data from the chart. For instance, you
could decide to color in the states that had first hummer arrivals in
February with one color, March with another color, and so on.
- Analyze
the Data: What
does your map tell you about the hummingbird migration? Pick one thing
and write a couple of sentences. What questions does it raise?
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Ruby-throated
Hummingbird Spring Migration Route
Predictions
and Results Chart >> |
This
Week's Hummingbird Resources |
The
Far-Flung Adventures of Homer the Hummer
>>
Beautiful illustrations and a delightful — and factual — tale
of a rubythroat's Journey North. |
- Video
Clip:
A Hummingbird Tongue in Action! >>
(May take a few minutes to load.)
- Photo
Observation: A Body Part That "Fits"! What Clues
Do You See? >>
- Slideshow:
Make Way for Nesting: A Tale of Territories, Thieves, and Courtship
>>
- Tool:
How Far? Measure the Distance with Google Maps! >>
- Explore:
How to Help Hummingbirds and Their Habitats >>
- Lesson:
Short-Distance and Long-Distance Migrants: Comparing Robins and Hummingbirds
>>
- Questions:
Expert Answers to Your Hummingbird Questions >>
- Study:
Weather and Songbird Migration >>
- Hummingbird
Migration Journals (click-and-print) >>
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The
Next Hummingbird Migration Update Will Be Posted on April 23, 2009.
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