Journey South News: Fall 2010
He's home! According to our observers, at least one hummingbird arrived on his wintering grounds in Costa Rica last week. Meanwhile, hummingbirds continued to drain from their breeding grounds. The week's 277 sightings were half of the 500 reported the week before, and half of the 1,000 reported the week before that. What's happening in your hometown? Image: Patricia Nethercote
Cold temperatures, short days, fading flowers, and first frosts. With a week like that, only 500 people reported that hummingbirds were still sticking around. What's happening in your hometown? Read a cautionary tale about cold feeders. Also, why are so many people seeing only female hummingbirds? Image: Beth Harless
Last week was the storm before the calm. This week's calm began after a cold front swept across the land. Although nearly 1,000 people reported hummingbirds again this week, the number at feeders continued to drop. What's happening in your hometown? Remember: keep your feeder up for the stragglers! Image: Barbara Hamel
It was peak migration week in Texas, where hummers stacked up and waited for the weather to change. Hummingbird numbers dwindled in the north, but almost 1,000 people reported their presence. let us know! Image: Harlen Aschen
Peak migration is expected along the Texas Gulf coast this weekend, and 'a cloud of hummingbirds' is predicted for the annual festival in Rockport, TX. Over the past week, nearly 2,500 people shared their hummingbird observations from the northern tip of Nova Scotia to the southern tip of Texas. If you're still seeing hummingbirds, let us know! Image: Laura Erickson
Tropical Storm Hermine and Hurricane Earl. Freezing temperatures and first frosts. There were hazards ahead last week—but no option to stay behind—so the hummingbirds continued to vacate the north and head for warmer horizons. Where are your hummingbirds now, and whose tiny travelers are visiting your flowers and feeders? Please report your sightings! Image: Jacques Turgeon
It's early September and the hummingbird migration map is about to change. Hummingbirds are disappearing in the north and appearing in the south in large numbers. One observer reported a 'miniature hummingbird' in her garden on Monday. This mystery creature is commonly mistaken for a hummingbird. How do you know that it's not? Look for clues!
During the past week, 842 people from Alaska to Florida shared their hummingbird observations. Thank you, citizen scientists! A picture of fall migration across North America is beginning to emerge.
Please report your observations this fall as hummingbirds prepare to migrate and as they travel to their wintering grounds. With your help, we'll make a migration map to show where hummingbirds are present from August through December.