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