Hummingbirds

This project was started in 1997 by Cam Finlay, Master-bander, author and naturalist. When Dr. Alison Moran took over coordination in 2009, the Hummingbird Project joined Rocky Point Bird Observatory (RPBO). This move was a chance for the project to mature into new areas of research.

With respect to the RPBO mandate of ‘conservation through monitoring, research, and public education’, monitoring was well established in Southern BC and Alberta by 2012. It then expanded into northern BC, providing a better understanding of hummingbird movements around the province.

Our research efforts have expanded from monitoring movements and habitat choice, to include more habitat use and influences. In recent years, this has focused on waste analysis (shared freely by the birds) to investigate diet and exposure to pesticides. We are now expanding that research into habitat use during periods of wildfire smoke.

The team has also made education a core objective. In addition to public lectures (in person and online), they provide workshops, talk with school groups and write articles for local media (traditional and social). The team meets regularly on and offline, to share techniques, learn about the latest scientific findings and plan coordinated education and research initiatives.

Conservation is the final pillar of the RPBO vision. We are actively working to build conservation connections. Our efforts go toward sharing with partners how our research findings can inform practical conservation measures in shared goals.