| Please
Report Your Sightings! |
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Ruby-throated hummers pushed further north this week and many more people got their first sighting. As the males arrive they appear to be on a manic mission: Set up territories, defend them from would-be thieves, and impress a mate. Watch their antics in this week's slideshow. Then solve the migration rate puzzle to determine how long before you see your first hummer.
Today's Report Includes:
-
Highlights, Maps, and Questions
- How Do They Find Their Way Back?
- Slideshow: Males on a Mission
- Math Puzzle: How Fast Does the Migration Travel?
- Hummingbird Expert Answers Your Questions!
- Getting Started: This Week's Hummingbird Resources
Photo: Russ Thompson
What's
the story here?
Highlights:
Hummers
Push North!
It
was another warmer than average week for the rubythroat northern migration
range. The warm spring pushed the rubythroats north into New Hampshire,
Massachusetts and Iowa! Scattered rainy days in the Northeast brought
the birds to more feeders in the migration pathway. Are you keeping track
on your
prediction chart?
Although Journey North maps show the earliest birds, not the masses of migrants, imagine being in the right place at the right time for this spring's rufous migration. One delighted observer from the Oregon coast reported seeing multiple hummers fly over earlier this week! (see sighting reports)
Don't be discouraged if others near by are reporting sightings. Stick to it like this observed did on 04/12/10 from Loganville, Georgia.
"Determined to see the first Ruby Throated hummingbird of the season, I camped out in front of the kitchen window doing my ironing. At approximately 7:56 pm I watched a mature male Ruby Throat drink from the feeder! YEAH!"
Pacific Northwest weather continues to be wet and cold holding rufous hummers down. An observer from 04/09/10 in Westbank, British Columbia confirms the spring cold,
"Put the feeder out 7 days ago. Wife spotted 2 hummers feeding in late afternoon. Feeder freezes overnight hopefully it warms up soon."
Some of you talk about your hummingbird being back. One observer says that when his hummers returned, they checked the wire hanger where the feeder was last year. Do hummingbirds really return to the same places each spring? If you were a tiny hummer, how could you find one little feeder after a thousand mile journey? Let's explore:
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How Do They Find Their Way Back? Read about Hummingbird Navigation
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 Distribution Map |
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| Rufous
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Ruby-throated
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| Handouts:
Today's Hummingbird Map Questions Rufous Questions Rubythroat Questions |
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Male hummers heading north have no choice in the matter. They have an overwhelming urge to set up territories, defend food sources, and more. And that's no easy task! Discover why.
- Slideshow:
Make Way for Nesting: A Tale of Territories, Thieves, and Courtship
- Slideshow Handout
Migrating
animals travel at very different average rates. A bog turtle might travel
just 56 feet in a day, but a monarch butterfly might fly 40 to 100 miles
a day! How fast and far do ruby-throated hummingbirds travel?
You be the
judge! Use our migration maps to make an estimate. Then use your answer
to predict when the migration will reach you, the Canadian border, or
another location!
- Estimating Migration Rate: How Many Miles a Day Do Rubythroats Travel?
**Expert answers to your hummingbird questions!**
|
 This week brings extremes to both sides of the continent! |
The Next Hummingbird Migration Update Will Be Posted on April 21, 2010.
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