Today's News
A/CPB
Ruby-throated Hummingbird Migration Update: May 1, 1997
Talk About Humming Along!The hummingbirds are really on the move, reaching as far north as Michigan and Pennsylvania! And, contrary to a popular myth, they did it flying on the power of their own little wings--not riding on the backs of migrating geese! Here are 38 new hummingbird sightings to place on your migration map. (See below.)
Rice Krispie Treats?
Last week we asked this appetizing Challenge Question:
"If you burned energy at the same rate as a hummingbird, how much of your
favorite food would you need to eat per day? Assuming you are awake 16
hours each day, how much food would you need to eat per hour?"
As we mentioned in our last report, hummingbirds have an enormous appetite because their metabolism is so high, and finding and eating food is a matter of life and death for hummingbirds. Gabi Shoemaker of Lock Haven, PA (nheilman@oak.kcsd.k12.pa.us) tried the Challenge Question using her favorite food for example--Rice Krispie Treats! She discovered that to match a hummingbird's appetite on a human scale, she would have to eat so much of her favorite food that, "It would no longer be my favorite food," she said.
How many Rice Krispie treats would she need to eat? In our next report, we will provide a step-by-step "recipe" to help you figure it out.
Ruby-throated Hummingbird Sightings
As of May 1, 1997
Credits:
This hummingbird migration data is drawn from Lanny
Chamber's WWW site, "Hummingbirds!" and the
National
Birding Hotline Cooperative
Date Nearest City, State
04/30/97 Wichita, KS 04/30/97 Gary, IN 04/30/97 Kokomo, IN 04/30/97 Newburgh, NY 04/30/97 Providence, RI 04/29/97 Allentown, PA 04/29/97 Battle Creek, MI 04/27/97 Wilmington, DE 04/27/97 Cedar Rapids, IA 04/27/97 St. Charles, MO 04/27/97 West Lafayette, IN 04/26/97 Bartlesville, OK 04/26/97 Columbus, OH 04/26/97 Cherry Hill, NJ 04/24/97 Indianapolis, IN 04/24/97 Columbia, MO 04/23/97 Springfield, MO 04/22/97 Clarksburg, WV 04/21/97 Goshen, NJ 04/21/97 Paterson, NJ 04/21/97 Hannibal, MO 04/20/97 Oklahoma City, OK 04/20/97 Lexington, KY 04/19/97 Winchester, VA 04/19/97 Parkersburg, WV 04/19/97 St.Louis, MO 04/18/97 Carbondale, IL 04/17/97 Lynchburg, VA 04/17/97 Charleston, WV 04/16/97 Cape Girardeau, MO 04/16/97 Marion, VA 04/16/97 Kingsport, TN 04/15/97 Cambridge, MD 04/14/97 Cincinati, OH 04/14/97 Nashville, TN 04/14/97 Fort Smith, AR 04/14/97 McAlester, OK 04/14/97 Cape Girardeau, MO
The Next Hummingbird Migration Update Will be Posted on May 15, 1997.