Hummers and other great little guys

I was looking at my little hummingbird summer companions today, noticing how chunky they are, and thinking about how they will all be leaving us soon for warmer climes (They can double their body weight in preparation for migration.) However, after reading this fascinating article, I realized that the little gal I was looking at this morning might not be the same one who spent the summer with us. Ruby Throated hummingbirds can start their migration as early as July and move south as the days start getting shorter. These amazing little bundles of energy then fly across the Gulf of Mexico to Central and South America. It's hard to believe something so small could survive such an epic journey. Yet they do it every year and come back to our feeders in April after a winter vacation in the tropics. The kids and I love watching them all summer from our kitchen window and eagerly await their return each year. Their chattering and aerial dog fights are great entertainment. Better than any TV show!

We also keep feeders for other kinds of birds, and it's a wonderful way for me to share my love and interest in wildlife with the kids. My daughter can tell you the names and habits of most of our local birds, and it's just because we like to watch them from our kitchen table as well as on hikes out and about in the area.

If birdwatching interests you at all and you think you might like to take part in an easy science project, check out Project Feederwatch. This is a program run by The Cornell Lab of Ornithology. People all over the country are counting the birds in their back yards and reporting them to the lab. At the end of each season, you can see country-wide maps of different species and actually see how the birds are moving. The information that the lab collects is helping scientists learn about seasonal movements, overall population changes and shifts, and identifying important areas for conservation. This is real science, and it's easy to do. They have developed a special unit for homeschoolers and have a free guide you can download. You can also watch birds nesting each Spring and Summer on their live cams. It seems all the fun is over for this year, but it might an interesting activity to keep in mind for next year. I can tell you the kids and I got addicted to watching a barn owl nest box a couple of years ago (oh, the drama!). There are a number of nest cams out there on the internet each Spring. You just have to do a search for them. Talk about up close and personal!