Journey North Hummingbird Migration

Hummingbirds

Spring Hummingbird Migration Fall\| Spring			Getting Started

Welcome Citizen Scientists! You're invited to help track hummingbird migration each fall and spring as the tiny migrants travel to and from their wintering grounds: Spring Migration We track just two species of hummingbirds each spring, the Ruby-throated and the Rufous. In the Western U.S. and Canada, the Rufous Hummingbird travels the farthest north of any hummingbird to breed — all the way to Alaska. When Ruby-throated Hummingbirds return to nest in the U.S. and Canada this spring, they will have just completed a remarkable journey back from Mexico and Central America! You can plot these return trips and learn what it takes for hummingbirds — and other "neotropical" migrants — to complete this epic journey. As you do, we'll explore questions like these: Why do hummingbirds risk this dangerous trip? How fast and how far can they fly in a day? What do they need to survive and how can we help them? Marathon Migrations Hummingbirds are so light you could mail ten of these tiny dynamos with just one stamp! Yet they manage to fly hundreds — or even thousands — of miles fueled by the nectar from blooming flowers. (Many even make the 20-hour trip over the Gulf of Mexico without any food or rest!) They migrate alone, yet many end up at the same exact feeders or gardens where they spent last spring and summer. These remarkable birds will appreciate your food and flowers to welcome them back! Photos courtesy of (left to right): Dorothy Edington, Heathery Ray, Henry Domke and Ray Fostery.			Orientation How to Participate
			Identify Two Hummingbird Species
			Follow Hummingbird Migration Weekly News
			Observe Seasons and Habitat Changes
			Map the Hummingbird Migration
			Write in your Hummingbird Migration Journal
			Predict the Path the Hummers Will Travel
			Anticipate Here Comes My Hummingbird!
			Report Your Hummingbird Sightings