1. Hummingbird Citizen Science Project

2. The Betts Lab Matthew Betts Professor at OSU Forest Wildlife Landscape Ecology Costa Rica Research! Green Hermit White-tipped SicklebillViolet Sabrewing Heliconia tortuosa

3. Background on Project Project designed by a student – now in its fifth year. Using citizen science to understand if forest cover is correlated with hummingbird presence and abundance. Students use feeders to do observations of hummingbirds every 2-3 days and record 1) what species of hummingbird they see and 2) how many of each individual species they see. Project runs for 2 months, after which we process the data and provide participants with a summary of the results. Why count hummingbirds?

4. Decline of the Rufous Hummingbird Since 1967 the population has dropped an estimated 1-2% each year.

5. Common Hummingbirds in the Pacific Northwest Rufous Hummingbird What do they look like? Size: 2.7-3.5 inches long Color: Named for the reddish-brown color on the underside of wings and side of bodies; have a white collar Males: Bright red throat Females: Greenish/gray head Rufous Facts Feisty! Will chase away other hummingbirds and even chase off chipmunks from their nest. Migrate as far as Alaska to Mexico in the fall and then back up in the spring – a journey of 3,900 miles. Beat their wings 52-62 times/second. http://www.allaboutbirds.org MALE FEMALE

6. Rufous Hummingbird: Nesting and Migration Migrate in a clockwise pattern up the coast and down through the Rocky Mountains Female builds nest out of plant down and spider webs, camouflaging it with moss, lichen, and bark. Lay clutch of 2-3 eggs up to 30 feet up in maple, Douglas-fir, pine, and birch trees, as well as in ferns and Incubates for 15-17 days. Nestling period of 15-19 days.

7. Why Are They Declining?: Land-use Change Ag and Rangeland Summer Cropland, urban, pasture Grazed forest and woodland Clear Cutting Cropland Forest Winter Housing Development Mountain Meadows Migration

8. Changes in distribution of pollinator habitat can affect the hummingbird’s ability to transport pollen

9. Why Are They Declining?: Pesticides and Agriculture Rufous Hummingbird distribution is negatively correlated with areas of agriculture and pesticide use. Pesticides are speculated to contribute to the Rufous Hummingbird’s slow decline, along with habitat disruption and disease. However, there have been very few studies of the effects of environmental toxicants on hummingbirds. Pesticides kill small insects and and spiders that hummingbirds prey on for protein. It was shown if a hummingbird were to ingest too much iron from a fertilizer, it could be fatal. Rufous Hummingbirds were one of the most sensitive to the intensive treatment of Oregon seral forest by herbicides in a study by Dr. Betts. In summary, agriculture is speculated to have wiped out a portion of the hummingbirds’ historic migration path and the same may be true for bees and other pollinators. http://www.audubon.org/sites/default/files/i magecache/magazine_gallery_full/photos/6- 1_rufous_hummingbird_eating_insect.jpg

10. Anna’s Hummingbird Size: 10-11 cm long Color: Green/gray without any orange on body Males: Bright pink head Females: Green/gray head Likely Uncommon in Sisters http://www.allaboutbirds.org MALE FEMALE

11. ~40 years later… Anna’s Range Distribution Change 1960-1970 2000-2014 http://ebird.org/ebird/map/

12. http://www.kidsgrowingstrong.org/Pollination Pollination

13. Why We Care Bleeding Hearts Columbine Desert Trumpet Calico Bush Columbia Lily Scarlet Creeper Red Fireweed Trumpet Vine Cardinal Flower Trumpet Honeysuckle Bee Balm Carpet Bugle Impatiens Petunias Salvia Butterfly Bush Coral Bells Fuchsia Larkspur Cannas Tree morning glories Tree ocotillo Manzanita Pollination!

14. Conservation Habitat Conservation: Land management practices that seek to conserve, protect, and restore habitat for plants and animals. How can we help the Rufous Hummingbirds? o We can try to understand why they’re declining….

15. The Hummingbird Citizen Science Project! 1.Question – If forest cover correlated with Rufous hummingbird presence and abundance? 2.Hypothesis – There will be more hummingbirds in areas with more forest cover 3.Methods – Research by student scientists! 4.Experiment – Record the amount of nectar in your feeder and observe the hummingbirds you see around the feeder for 2 months 5.Results – The data from our observations 6.Conclusion – Do our observations support our hypothesis?

16. Project Protocol Feeder – the trick to filling it and instructions for making nectar The datasheet

17. Area Description Conifer and Deciduous Trees Conifer Cone Leaves Deciduous 50 meters – how many steps?

18. Trees - which is which?

19. Questions?