Hummingbird Migration Update: April 30, 2009

Today's Report Includes:

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 >>

Handout: Today's Hummingbird Map Questions >>
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).
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 >>
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 >>
More Hummingbird Lessons and Teaching Ideas!

The Next Hummingbird Migration Update Will Be Posted on May 7, 2009.