Spring Hummingbird Migration News coverage begins February 4, 2011 Getting Started Marathon Migrations They're such lightweights that 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! How to Track Migration You're invited to help track hummingbird migration each fall and spring as the tiny migrants travel to and from their wintering grounds: Fall Migration Report to the map when you see a hummingbird of any species. The map will show when and where hummingbirds were present. Watch how the map changes as hummingbirds respond to the changing seasons. Spring Migraton 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? More About Hummingbirds Try these other Hummingbird lessons and activities. Visit Hummingbirds for Kids: Booklets, slideshows, more. Unpave the Way for Hummingbirds. (Schoolyard habitats.) Integrate Hummingbirds into Journey North's study of the seasons. 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 This Season Teachers Kids Orientation Registration Search Copyright 1997-2010 Journey North. All Rights Reserved. Questions or comments? Contact us.