Female Ruby-throated Hummingbird. (Patrick Comins photo)
Spring migration is underway, and the Audubon Center at Bent of the River invites birders and nature enthusiasts of all ages to help track the health of hummingbirds with Audubon’s Hummingbirds at Home app. This citizen science project utilizes the power of volunteers to help collect data that provide scientists with crucial information about the bird species and the plants that sustain them.
“The first hummingbirds of the season should be arriving to our area the second half of April, so this is a great time to share your back yard observations with Audubon scientist through this easy new web application,” explained Education Program Manager, Ken Elkins. “This is a great time to share how you are attracting hummingbirds and when the first ones arrive to your yard.”
Every spring, hummingbirds visit our yards, looking for nourishment from our gardens and feeders. Many hummingbirds migrate very long distances and must eat several times their weight in nectar daily to stay alive. Audubon scientists recently released a groundbreaking study that revealed some species of hummingbirds could lose more than 50 percent of their current ranges by 2080 if climate change continues on its current trajectory. As flowers bloom earlier because of warming temperatures, there is a growing mismatch between flowering times and the arrival of hummingbirds in their breeding areas.
By joining Audubon’s Hummingbirds at Home project you can help uncover how hummingbirds are affected by climate change and provide the information necessary to protect them. Using the mobile-friendly web portal and smart phones apps for iPhone and Android devices, people from across the United States can report their feeding hummingbird sightings anywhere. These observations will also enable Audubon to make specific regional recommendations for those who want to enhance the value of their yards and gardens for hummingbirds.
Hummingbirds at Home helps people set up patches in their yard, garden, porch, window box, local park – or just about anywhere – where they can keep track of hummingbirds and what they feed on. Additional sightings also can be logged outside a patch. Participants can get involved by spending just a few minutes or as long as they wish. There is no cost to participate and using the free mobile app or website makes it simple to report sightings and learn more about these remarkable birds. For more information visit www.hummingbirdsathome.org.
To support the Audubon Center at Bent of the River local bird conservation programs, visit the bentoftheriver.audubon.org. You can donate to Bent of the River during the Connecticut Community Foundation Give Local campaign May 5 and 6.
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