Internships

Michelle Thurber ’26

Major

Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Project Title

Broad-tailed Hummingbird Foraging Patterns and Climate Change

I worked with a team of researchers to collect data on broad-tailed hummingbird foraging patterns. My teammates and I placed motion-sensing cameras on wildflower species at the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory (RMBL) in Gothic, Colorado and recorded broad-tailed hummingbird visits. This project is part of a long-term study on how climate change affects wildflower blooms and hummingbird foraging patterns. As participants in RMBL’s Summer Education Program, we also investigated the effect of shorter-term temperature variation on hummingbird visitation rates using data collected by previous HMEI interns. We did not find evidence of a relationship between temperature and visitation rate, which was an intriguing result for a tiny, fast-moving bird that we thought would require even more frequent refueling of nectar during colder temperatures. This was my first experience doing research and writing a scientific paper, and it was also my first time climbing a mountain and seeing the Milky Way. My summer of complete immersion in nature, through science and my adventures, transformed me in many ways. As a result, I’ve become interested in helping others connect with birds, stars, mountains or whatever elements of nature speak to them.

* This internship is connected to the HMEI Climate and Energy Grand Challenges project, “Investigating the Effects of Climate Change on Hummingbird Sensory Landscapes.”