Surprise! Hummingbirds actually do slow down
The biggest surprise about hummingbirds, those zippy masters of hover-and-dart, is how easy they are to catch. That is, until after you catch one. The biggest surprise, you then discover, is a hummingbird — a frenetic little size-of-your-thumb creature that manages four breaths and 50 wing beats per second, its heart beating 1,200 times a minute — will sit still in your hand even when it’s free to fly away after being measured and having a band attached to a leg.
“We capture hummingbirds that have migrated all the way from Mexico as part of a hummingbird monitoring network, looking for trends,” said Dr. Ken Macquisten, a veterinarian and managing director of Grouse Mountain’s refuge for endangered wildlife.
“We’re looking to see if the population is steady or if it’s increasing or declining North America-wide.
“Once a trend is established, we’ll try to figure out the reason for it. There is serious alarm about all bird populations in North America.”
The banding program began at Grouse in 2005, part of a North American project that runs from Mexico to Alaska studying hummingbird populations and migratory routes.
The tiny metal band has been compared to a human wearing a halfpound bracelet.
“So it’s noticeable, but they adapt quickly,” said Devin Manky, wildlife manager at Grouse. “It’s nothing life changing.”
Nor do temporary capture and handling seem to be off-putting.
Indeed, after being banded, one young gung-ho Rufous male returned to a feeder to be recaptured four more times Tuesday morning.
“Young males never learn, that’s a cross-species truth,” Macquisten joked.
Tuesday’s count: In the first hour, from 5 to 6 a.m., eight Rufous males and females, weighing about 3.5 grams each, and two Anna’s females, weighing about 4.3 grams apiece.
Hummingbirds are pollinators, part of Grouse’s Small Wonders summer theme, which includes a working bee hive and a garden designed to attract bees and hummingbirds.
That the hummingbirds remain so passive while being handled, even after being removed from their little Teddy Bear-decorated blankets, belies their true nature.
They’ll squawk at and peck each other over feeder rights and flower access.
“They’ll poop on each other,” Manky said.
They’ve even been known to speed at each other like winged jousters, fatally impaling each other with their long bills.
“They’re feisty, have strong personalities,” Manky said. “Of the hundreds of bird species I’ve worked with they are among the most tenacious.”