Caroline County Bird Club November 20, 2014 program on Hummingbirds of the Mid-Atlantic Region presented by Bruce Peterjohn

 Thought you saw a hummingbird last winter? You may have and it probably wasn’t a Ruby-throated. Gone are the days when the Ruby-throated Hummingbird was the only species of hummingbird found east of the Mississippi River, or when hummingbirds were believed to be only summer residents. 

 

The mid-Atlantic region supports a surprisingly diverse hummingbird community, especially during winter when species from western North America regularly appear in the east. This presentation summarizes our knowledge of the current status and distribution of hummingbirds in the Virginia-Maryland-Delaware region, providing insights into their identification, life histories, and how these marvelous little birds are adapting to become regular winter residents in this region.    

Bruce has been hummingbird banding in the mid-Atlantic Region since the late 1990s, initially assisting the only hummingbird bander in the region. He received training in hummingbird banding techniques in 2006 and have been banding hummingbirds since that time. His primary interests are documenting the changing status and distribution of winter hummingbirds in the mid-Atlantic region and developing a better understanding of the strategies used by these birds to survive winter conditions in this region. 

Photo of an immature male Rufous Hummingbird banded in Somerset Count the week of Sept 7, 2014 on MD Biodiversity Project’s  Facebook page