Representing Hummingbirds at WBBA

Western Hummingbird Partnership Logo

WHP Website

WHP Executive Committee

John Alexander

Director

Klamath Bird Observatory

Maria del Coro Arizmendi

Professor

Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México

Susan Bonfield

Director

Environment for the Americas

Barb Bresson

Avian Conservation Program

USFS, Pacific Northwest Region

Greg Butcher

Migratory Species Coordinator

USFS, International Programs

Sarahy Contreras

Professor

Universidad de Guadalajara

Geoff Geupel

Director, Emerging Programs and Partnerships Group

Point Blue Conservation Science

Cheryl Carrothers

Wildlife Program Leader

USFS, Alaska Region

Western Hummingbird Partnership

Western Hummingbird Partnership (WHP) is a collaborative approach to hummingbird research, conservation, and education. Working with partners in Canada, the United States, and Mexico, WHP strives to understand what hummingbirds need to survive in a changing world. Our newsletter will keep you up-to-date on the latest in hummingbird news. Thank you for joining us!

Keep Up with WHP

Keep up with the latest in hummingbird news via Facebook or the WHP newsletter. Both are provided in English and Spanish. Find the Spanish version on our website: Spanish Newsletter

Gwen Baluss started banding birds in the early 2000's. Here she is removing a rufous hummingbird from a hall trap.

Representing Hummingbirds at WBBA

The Western Bird Banding Association conference is right around the corner and we are excited about it! The conference serves as a great place for banders and bird enthusiast to meet and exchange information on bird banding and avian conservation efforts.

This year the conference will be held at Point Reyes, California from the 6th of October until the 9th. These three days will be filled with bird field trips, talks and presentations and one of the talks we have our eyes on is the talk Gwen Baluss will be giving on hummingbird banding techniques.

Gwen Baluss has conducted bird studies on Alaska's Tongass National Forest for over 15 years as a wildlife technician. She has coordinated broad-scaled point counts, banding, seabird counts and environmental education. Gwen opened up a Rufous Hummingbird monitoring station near Juneau, Alaska in 2013. Since the beginning of the project, Gwen has banded approximately 500 rufous hummingbirds! We can't wait to hear what else Gwen has to say at the conference.

Learn more about the Western Bird Banding Association

Migration is Still in Progress!


A webcam image of a rufous hummingbird diving towards the feeder.

We can tell that our grantees are very enthusiastic about hummingbirds and the projects they are working on. Last month we learned that a male Black-chinned Hummingbird was observed in Puebla, Mexico. The same organization from Puebla, Jardín Etnobotánico Francisco Pelaez, has recently shared with us more exciting news about migrating hummingbirds. In these past few days they have welcomed their first Rufous Hummingbird.

Rufous Hummingbirds are known to be one of the birds with the longest migration route relative to size. Traveling to and from Southeastern Alaska to Southeastern Mexico, these birds travel about 3,800 miles one way. Rufous Hummingbirds begin to migrate south as early as July. It seems that they are finally arriving to their southernmost part of their range.

WHP Website in Spanish

The Western Hummingbird Partnership website is now available in Spanish. Visit the site and explore the pages!

WHP Website

Western Hummingbird Partnership | sbbonfield@gmail.com | http://westernhummingbird.org
Environment for the Americas, 5171 Eldorado Springs Drive, Suite N, Boulder, CO 80303