SQUAMISH – Squamish’s hummingbird population has the potential to draw more attention than the thousands of bald eagles who visit every winter. This year thousands of the tiny birds were counted at the North Vancouver Outdoor School (NVOS) between mid-May and early June.

“We are feeding about 600 birds a day and the site down the road is feeding up to 2,000 hummingbirds a day,” said Victor Elderton, principal at the NVOS.

The sheer number of hummingbirds in the Paradise Valley is putting Squamish on the map. This year researchers from the University of Edinburgh University in Scotland based their research out of the outdoor school. Elderton said much of the recent attention can be attributed to biologist Cam Finlay, whose research is attracting attention.

“We have been facilitating the work of others. Cam and his team have been conducting hummingbird research across B.C. for over a decade, banding close to 15,000 birds,” Elderton said.

According to the National Wildlife Research Centre, bird banding is a useful tool in the study of wild birds and involves capturing the birds and marking them with a numbered metal band on the leg. Dates from recovered bands provide information on the movement of the birds, life span and causes of death.

“Cam is interested in one species of hummingbird, the Rufous, which has longest migratory pattern of any bird based on its size," Elderton said. “They come from as far away as Mexico.”

One bird, which was tagged in Squamish, was found in New Orleans. Surprisingly little is known about the migration routes of hummingbirds and Finlay was the first in Canada to hold a banding permit, allowing him to learn more about the tiny species.

Over the years, the banding technique has been refined. Researchers use a compact trap with a feeder inside to enclose the birds. The birds are removed carefully and slipped into a soft cloth "straitjacket" to calm and stabilize them. The band itself, unlike most bird bands, is so tiny that it must be cut manually from a sheet of thin aluminum, shaped, and fitted to the bird's lower leg. The number is recorded, measurements are taken, and the bird is aged and sexed before it is released.

“We want the outdoor school to be a learning destination and there is a good chance people will be doing research of this type in the future,” Elderton said.

Through the researchers, Elderton said he’s gained a greater appreciation for hummingbirds. He said it’s amazing how complex the birds really are.

“At the school we have mostly females but up the road it’s almost exclusively males, which is very interesting,” Elderton said. “Males fly through the area first and set up territory, while a few males keep other males away from their harem who arrive later.”

Those interested in participating in an international study to help understand hummingbirds better in the Sea to Sky Corridor can contact Victor Elderton at nvos@nvsd44.bc.ca to register your feeders.