MDC to offer free virtual hummingbird program July 21

People can learn more about hummingbirds (pictured above)
 at a free Missouri Department of Conservation
online program on July 21.

Springfield Nature Center staff will host online program on these fascinating birds.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Hummingbirds fascinate humans for a variety of reasons. The way these tiny birds hover at feeders and dart back and forth makes them a favorite of many people.

People who want to learn more about these unique birds should sign up for the Missouri Department of Conservation’s (MDC) virtual program “Hummingbird Basics.” MDC’s Springfield Conservation Nature Center staff will offer this program July 21 from 10-10:30 a.m. People can learn about these birds’ life cycles and why, in the upcoming weeks, hummingbirds will be looking for feeders as they ravenously feed to store up energy for their long migrations in the fall. People can register for this program at:

https://mdc-event-web.s3licensing.com/Event/EventDetails/173682

Though this program is free, registration is required to participate using the link above. Registrants must provide an e-mail, so a program link can be sent to them. This program will include a chat-based question-and-answer period where participants can interact with the presenters.

Staff at MDC facilities across the state are holding virtual programs. A listing of these programs can be found at mdc.mo.gov/regions.

MDC’s Springfield Conservation Nature Center is located at 4601 South Nature Center Way in southeast Springfield. The nature center building and facilities are currently closed to the public due to COVID-19 precautions, but the area’s three-mile network of trails is open to the public.

Welcome back hummingbirds!

Discover nature and learn more about the ruby-throated hummingbird.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) encourages people to discover nature this spring by learning about the ruby-throated hummingbird. Missourians will be seeing this delightful bird this time of year a lot more now due to migration. In an average year, ruby-throated hummingbirds arrive in Missouri around early to mid-April.

“Hummingbird migration all depends on the weather,” MDC Wildlife Ecologist Brad Jacobs said. “This year’s migration should be about average for hummingbirds and they should be increasing in numbers over the month of April.”

Jacobs noted a great website map from hummingbirds.net to visit to see when and where hummingbirds are migrating: http://bit.ly/1cCTWae. The hummingbird migration map shows locations of where ruby-throated hummingbirds have been spotted already this year in North America. The website allows visitors to help out with this by entering the dates and exact locations where people have spotted hummingbirds.

Just like most birds, hummingbirds typically migrate south in early fall and migrate back north in the spring.

“Our hummingbirds begin their southward migration in mid-August and most are gone by early October,” Jacobs said. “A few overwinter in extreme southern coastal states, with most wintering from southern Mexico to Costa Rica. Migration means some of them fly nonstop for 600 miles from the Gulf coast of the U.S. to the Yucatan Peninsula over the Gulf of Mexico. The often lose half their body weight during this trans-Gulf, 24-hour flight.”

Early spring migrant hummingbirds in Missouri rely on sap oozing from sapsucker-drilled holes and insects for food. With warmer weather they soon will switch to eating nectar from many different kinds of flowers later in spring, which gives them energy needed to catch insects all day long to feed their young.

Hummingbirds are more than just a delight to watch flying around, they also play a very important part in our ecosystem.

“Hummingbirds are important pollinators for many species of plants that require just such a long-billed pollinator,” Jacobs said. “Because of their small size, hummingbirds also risk ending up as food for many predators such as, large insects, spiders, birds, and frogs.”

Hummingbirds are summer residents throughout the state either around nectar feeders outside homes and in parks and gardens. Hummingbirds nest in wooded areas, and are frequently observed near forests, and streams. Learn more about the ruby-throated hummingbird from MDC’s Field Guide at http://on.mo.gov/1q0h7To. 

To see video of the hummingbirds visit MDC’s website at http://on.mo.gov/1UGKR4U.