2025 Hummingbird Banding at Bogus Basin

Join us for an Intermountain Bird Observatory hummingbird banding event at Bogus Basin! Our trained biologists will be banding, measuring, and releasing wild hummingbirds as part of our monitoring research. Come see them up close and learn about hummingbird conservation and research.

Location:

The Jason Harper Race Training Center, which is a building located just Northwest of the Pioneer Lodge at Bogus Basin in the same parking lot.

Please park in the Pioneer Lodge lot (or farther down the road if parking fills up). Look for our signage and pop up tents outside the Race Training Center.

When:

Drop in any time on your selected date. You may arrive as early as 7:00AM and stay as late as 11:00AM. Some folks may want to stay only an hour, others the entire time. We expect to see the most hummingbirds early in the day, so we suggest arriving before 9AM to see the most activity.

Logistics:

When you arrive: sign in, get your nametag, then join us at the outreach tables. You will have the chance to watch up-close as our research team bands and releases these tiny gems!

Waivers: Bogus has asked that all attendees sign a waiver before participating in this event. Please look for Bogus Basin staff when you arrive and get yours signed.

Bring:

Anything you need to be happy outdoors for 1-4 hours. Snacks, drinks, layered clothing (for cooler morning temps and heat/sun protection as the day goes on), cameras. Seating is limited so some may wish to bring a camp chair. Your donations are greatly appreciated and will go directly toward our hummingbird research! You can .

Restrooms: There are restrooms in Pioneer Lodge. Additionally, there is a porta potty at the end of the Pioneer Lodge parking lot, near the Pioneer Inn Condos. The J.R. Simplot Lodge also has restrooms and opens at 11AM.

Accessibility: There is disabled parking available in the Pioneer Lodge lot, right next to the Race Training Center. Due to construction in the area there may be some loose dirt that could make navigating near the race training center in some wheelchairs more difficult. Please let us know if you have any accessibility needs and we can work with Bogus Basin staff to make sure you get to see birds and enjoy the event.

Bird banding is unpredictable! We cannot promise that we will catch birds. We’ve chosen visitor time slots in an effort to ensure everyone has the opportunity to see a bird be banded. Depending on how many birds we catch, visitors will be able to help release the birds by holding out their hand as a release platform.

We may close our nets early or not open the station if the weather is bad (too windy, rainy, hot, or cold). We may reschedule due to weather. Please check your email for updates before attending.

Food and drink: During operating hours, the J.R. Simplot Lodge has food and drinks available. Be sure to stick around and enjoy a lunch in the mountains after hummingbird banding!

Other activities: Bogus Basin has a wealth of summer recreation opportunities! After you check out hummingbirds, plan a hike, mountain coaster ride, enjoy the chair lifts, or bring your mountain bike! More info on the Bogus Basin website: https://bogusbasin.org/your-mountain/things-to-do/summer-activities/

If you’d like to join the Bogus Basin volunteer team, follow this link to learn more https://forms.gle/XeKGYsvExEHqLRH66

How can we add more hummingbird days? IBOs hummingbird banding is one of our most popular, yet most under-funded, monitoring programs. We believe in this project so much that our banders have been donating their personal time and gas money to make this research happen. And the rest of our banding crew are in fact unpaid volunteers who believe in this project so much that they donate their time to support this project! In order to create long-term stability for this important research, we need your support.

Our 2025 events became a reality because of donations from visitors like you in 2024! Help us continue our work.

We welcome the opportunity to speak with you directly about how a larger, transformational gift would ensure our capacity to continue hummingbird banding and outreach in the future. Your support and donations will let us know you’d like to see more hummingbird banding events in the future.

We invite you to partner with us on this critical program by making a gift to theIBO Hummingbird Fund today either online or with cash/check in person!

Also check out other Sports events in Horseshoe Bend, Workshops in Horseshoe Bend, Nonprofit events in Horseshoe Bend.