Data collection
Abundance
data
Watch
your hummingbirds for half an hour a week, anytime between
dawn -
9:00AM. While you're
watching and enjoying the hummingbirds, please fill out
what
species you
see in your yard, using the Abundance
form. Collecting abundance
data is
an essential part of the project.
Behavior
& Abundance data
Optionally,
you may also report information on the behavior of the hummingbirds.
If you chose to collect behavioral data, use the Behavior & Abundance
form instead of the above form.
This will be extremely valuable in understanding the abundance
data and species interactions taking place among hummingbirds.
Instructions
for behavior data collection
We
request that you fill in information regarding the following
hummingbird activities:
Feeding:
A bird is feeding from a feeder, or flower, with a few second
break between feeding bouts.
If you report the bird
is feeding, please add the feeder / plant information in the
next two columns.
Perching:
sitting on a branch / feeder and such, in an erect posture, usually
after feeding.
Singing:
The bird is perched and singing. Posture is either erect or with
body tilted
forward
Scout
flight and/or Insect
feeding:
Bird flies to a point in the vicinity of the feeding place, then it hovers
for a few seconds in place,
then flies to a second
point and hovers, and
so
forth. The bird may be feeding on insects
in the air (although they may be too small for youto see them).
Display flight:
flight includes climbs and dives (up to ~40 meters high) above
the display
object (another hummingbird / other bird species/ predator /
human). 5-10 dive displays may be given in a sequence. Flight
may or may not include vocalization.
Chasing: A hummingbird
pursues another individual and chases it out of the area. This
pursuit usually occurs by a displayer.
If
you report the bird is chasing or displaying, please add in the
next
two
columns
information about the species that is being chased, or the target
of the display (if known).
Once
you have collected the data, please report
it through
this web site.
Please
enter your data on a weekly basis. This will enable us to follow
changes in hummingbird'
responses as they occur. It will also prevent large amounts of
data accumulating and hours of work in a later stage. Please
save all your data sheets and send
them to us* at the end
of the project as a backup.
* The Tucson Hummingbird Project,
Dept. of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona,
Tucson, AZ 85721 |