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Hummingbird
Migration Update: April 30, 2009 |
Today's
Report Includes:
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Please
Report
Your Sightings! >> |
What's
going on here? >>
Photo:
© Alandra
Palisser |
The
Migration: Highlights, Maps,
and Questions |
|
Distribution Map |
|
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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Handout:
Today's Hummingbird Map Questions >> |
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Highlights:
Hummers By the Hundreds!
A
hovering hummingbird "perched on a tree and washed itself
with the sprinkler," reports a second grader in Georgia.
Students in Connecticut suspected a hummer was nearby when they
saw the sugar water level dropping fast. Days later they spotted
a "bright and beautifully colored" male.
These
were just two of the 220 rubythroat sightings reported this
past week: a record! Among the new arrivals was one special
hummer. Was he on time? You decide after reading today's News
(below).
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What
happens to hummers on cold nights? |
The eastern half of the country felt like mid-summer last weekend.
Flowers bloomed and insects hatched. Skies were clear, light
winds favored flying, and hummers flooded northward.
But
then a cold front came through yesterday and some birds encountered
freezing temperatures. Can they handle the cold? Discover some
of their secrets here!
-
A
Trick for Coping with Cold: This Adaptation Helps Hummers
Survive >>
In
Pelican, Alaska, an observer saw a male rufous hummer, hordes of
geese flying north, and a bumble bee — all in the same day.
Even with snow forecast this week, other rufies continue their trek
east into the mountains. (Which new state did they land in?) If
you missed last week's slideshow, click here to find out why they're
headed up. >>
In the meantime, keep your eyes peeled. Some hummers are still passing
through on their journeys north and others are settling in. How
could you tell by observing a hummingbird which of these is true?
- This
Week's Observations from Citizen Scientists >>
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|
Journal:
Mother
Hummer Baby Care |
You
think building nests is
hard work. Wait until you discover what raising baby hummingbirds is like!
But first, imagine you are this mother hummer.
- Describe
what happens in your nest. How do your nestlings survive and grow? And
what's your role?
- Write
your story in your Hummingbird Journal >>
Then come
back next week for an exciting peek inside. Watch the nestlings come to
life in our online slideshow! |
What's
happening inside?
Photo: Ed Robertson |
News!
A Special Rubythroat Returns |
Photo:
Russ Thompson
|
Last
week, one special hummingbird pushed north with the crowds. We got word
that our hummingbird expert, Lanny Chambers, spotted his first rubythroat
at his home near St. Louis, Missouri.
Thanks to
Lanny for being a good scientist and tracking his first hummingbird arrival
for 16 years. Was this hummer right on time? You be the judge!
- Lesson:
Lanny's First Hummingbirds >>
|
Year-end
Evaluation: Please Share Your Thoughts! >> |
Will
you take a few minutes to complete our Year-end Evaluation? (We'll
still send hummer reports through May.)
With
your help, we can we document Journey North's reach, impact, and value.
We need comments like yours to keep the program going and growing.
Thank you! >> |
Year-end
Evaluation
>> |
This
Week's Hummingbird Resources |
It's
a Hummingbird's Life
by Irene Kelly
(grades K-4) >>
|
- JN
for Kids Photo Studies: Stunning
hummingbird photos and video clips along with observation questions
>>
- Assessment
Tools:
What Have We Learned About Hummingbirds? >>
- Math
and More: Lanny Chambers' First Hummingbird! >>
- Slideshow:
Building a Hummingbird Nest — Soft, Strong, and Stretchy >>
- Discover
and Journal: How Do They Find Their Way Back? >>
- Hummingbird
Arrivals:
Rubythroat
Chart and Rufous
Chart
- Tips:
How to Help Hummingbirds and Their Habitat >>
- Hummingbird
Migration Journals (click-and-print) >>
- Children's
Books We Like: Children's
Books
We Like: It's a Hummingbird's Life >>
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The
Next Hummingbird Migration Update Will Be Posted on May 7, 2009.
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