Posted on 02/17/2013 11:32:55 AM PST by Olog-hai
Ruby-throated hummingbirds are migrating to North America weeks earlier than in decades past, and research indicates that higher temperatures in their winter habitat may be the reason.
Researchers say the early arrival could mean less food at nesting time for the tiny birds that feed on insect pests, help pollinate flowers and are popular with birdwatchers. …
Jason Courtier of Taylor University said the historical data on hummingbirds is based on government surveys from about 3,000 naturalists around the country who recorded the first spring arrival time of bird species over the decades. About 6 million such records exist and are being scanned into computer databases by the North American Bird Phenology Program.
The research compared the historical documents with about 30,000 recent records on hummingbird arrivals. Scientists say the earlier arrival times could be problematic for hummingbirds, of which there are an estimated 7 million. …
(Excerpt) Read more at hosted.ap.org ...
Google Phoebe Allen hummer live cam. This little sweetie has become famous all over the country. Has live cam on her nests.
Watch her lay hatch her eggs and raise her babies!
Excellent photos.
These guys appear at my house every year on May 8th. (Northern PA.)
Fantastic pictures!! TY. The Owl is amazing!!
Ever seen them take on a Bumblebee? Hilarious!
Haven’t been so lucky, no.
And if I do ever see a praying mantis on the feeder, off he goes. They like to eat hummingbirds. (Sightings of the mantis keep getting rarer and rarer, speaking of that. I remember back in the 1980s that I’d see at least two or three during the summer.)
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