08/19/2026
As we gear up for XHX, GCBO and fellow conservation researchers are always striving to learn as much as possible about our tiny feathered friends! This past week, Research Director Rebecca, Research Director Emeritus Sue, Texas A&M University graduate student and GCBO student associate Aeris, and American Bird Conservancy collaborator Rebekah headed off to Sedona, Arizona for the 2026 Hummingbird Training Workshop. This multi-day meeting brought together researchers from around the country, as well as those from several Central American countries, to share research victories, lessons learned, and tricks of the trade. As you can imagine, banding hummingbirds is a bit different than banding oystercatchers, so we are always working to master new techniques, build new collaborations, and support our fellow scientists!
Highlights from the trip included the beautiful scenery, plenty of Anna's Hummingbirds, a leucistic Black-chinned Hummingbird, a shy coati, a very cooperative Common Black Hawk, and even a Costa's Hummingbird! The keynote address was given by longtime Texas hummingbird ba**er Kelly Bryan, who has banded over 20,000 hummingbirds in Texas! We were thrilled that Texas was strongly represented at this important meeting.
All birds were captured and banded under a federally authorized Bird Banding Permit issued by the U.S. Geological Survey's BBL and associated state research permits.
