Hummingbird Study

We hope you can join us to study hummingbirds at a private residence on West Buttermilk Road either in the morning or the evening.

Birds are feats of physiology, design, and strength. Hummingbirds take it several steps further with their unique lifestyle and the physical adaptations that allow them to hover, sip nectar, migrate long distances, and build expandable nests. This immersive experience will provide you with the chance to see up to four different species and appreciate these flying gems in new ways. We will likely see three species (broad-tailed, black-chinned, and rufous), with a possibility of a fourth (calliope).  Life history and physiology information will be shared as we watch these hummingbirds in action at feeders and flowers.

This class requires advanced registration to ensure appropriate planning for the field experience. Participants must register by 5pm on the day prior to the outing.

Birders of all experience levels are welcome! Special attention will be given to orienting beginning birders to local habitats and their associated bird species, and basic field craft skills.

These outings meet in the Buttermilk Parking Lot at the class start time. Take the left hand turn off of Owl Creek Road and turn left into the first lot. We will carpool/caravan from there for the 5 minute drive to our field trip location

 Interested in joining ACES Bird Club? Click here for more information!

About the instructor:

Rebecca Weiss is a Naturalist specializing in birding, botany, and interpretive program development. She first came to ACES as a Summer Naturalist in 1993, later directed the Naturalist Field School and worked with ACES’ Naturalist Programs. She currently guides for ACES’ Birding Program outings and is involved with the center’s interpretive and custom programs. Rebecca is also a professional writer, developing trailside natural history interpretive signs in the Roaring Fork Valley and elsewhere in Colorado, as well as other writing projects. Rebecca is the author of Birds of Aspen and the Roaring Fork Valley. She holds a BS in Biology and an MA in Environmental Education, and loves exploring the natural world with her husband, Austin, and their children Anders and Elsie.