Community Science, the Year of the Hummingbird and You

The Year of the Hummingbird not only offers you the chance to create and register your own Hummingbird Hotspots, it gives you the chance to contribute critical information to understanding hummingbird distribution and behaviors in our region. You can participate in multiple ways, all designed to help us understand how best to support hummingbirds in Tucson and southeast Arizona.

5-MINUTE HOTSPOT-WATCH
So you’ve created a hotspot of habitat in your yard, or you find yourself in an area with lots of hummingbirds flitting about. Now what? First, please take a moment to stop and appreciate these fierce, dainty birds. As a way to slow down and enjoy the experience, consider taking the time to do a Hotspot-Watch; five minutes to engage your senses watching, listening, and trying to keep track of all the hummers you identify zipping about. Keep track on a notepad, or for the really easy experience, use the free eBird app on your mobile. Why Hotspot-Watch? The information gained will inform our knowledge of urban population sizes and territory overlap of each type of hummingbird.

Specific instructions and a printable data sheet

HUMMINGBIRD BLITZES

On five days in 2017, Tucson Audubon calls on all willing participants to help us understand where the hummingbirds are. Which ones live in the urban core? Are there any specialists on exurban areas? How about near washes or the foothills of local Sky Islands?

Participation is easy:

1. See a hummingbird and identify it
2. Pin it on our online Hummingbird Blitz Map

Each species will be available for you to pin, and you can note unidentified hummers. You can access the map from any mobile phone or computer connected to the internet, so everyone can participate. Make a mark for each type of hummingbird you see at any spots you visit—there’s no limit to the number of contributions you can make. And, it’s a live feed—you can leave the map open and watch as other people populate it with their sightings throughout the region.

The maps made from each Blitz will augment our ongoing Tucson Bird Count data so that we know the specific regional distribution of each type of hummingbird.