Migration Update: April 27, 2011
Please Report
Your Sightings!

It is nest building season for many hummers that have arrived on their breeding grounds. Meanwhile many little migrants still have the urge to fly further and reach the place they will call home for their babies. What do you want to know about the hummingbird nesting cycle? Plug in to this important part of the hummingbird's life cycle.

Today's Report Includes:

Image of the Week
female business
Who needs cattail fluff?


Highlights, Maps, and Questions

Highlights: North to the Maritime Provinces
Over 200 new sighting reports came in for ruby-throated hummingbirds last week!
It appears that the wet and stormy weather caused a lot of fallout in the Gulf Coast and into the midwest. The winds shifted to the south last weekend which allowed birds to head north. Look at this week's map to see the number of sightings reported in the Canadian Maritime provinces of Quebec, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. Imagine the journeys these birds along the northern frontier have made so far this spring!

Did you notice anything different about the movement of the rufous hummingbirds lastweek? Many birds must have had their right turn signals on as they moved east into the interior of British Columbia and Washington state. Keep your eye on this interesting change for their spring migration.

Black-chinned and broad-tailed hummers lead the charge into the interior where first sightings continue in Colorado, Oklahoma, and New Mexico.

"After the massive storms that rocked our area earlier in the week, I was out taking a look at possible damage, when as quiet as a whisper, there was my first little friend," reported a spotter from Milan, Indiana. Weather continued severe last week, with dangerous winds and rain. Will winds help a northward migration this week?

  • Wind speed and direction map for the next few days: NOAA Forecast

 

wind direction and speed
With winds like these, do you think the hummers will move northward in the next few days?

Rufous hummingbird migration map
Rufous
Hummingbirds

map
/animation/sightings

Ruby-throated hummingbird migration map
Ruby-throated Hummingbirds
map
/animation/sightings

Ruby-throated hummingbird migration map
All Other Hummingbird Species
map/animation/sightings

Dig In! Find Out About Nesting

What is a hummingbird nest like? Will they use a birdhouse? How long does it take for eggs to hatch?

It's nesting season! As hummingbirds are arriving across their breeding range we can explore a whole new and important stage in this amazing little bird's life cycle.

What questions do you have about their nesting cycle?

  • Use this concept chart to organize your questions about each stage of the cycle. Then take our research challenge!

Dig into hummingbird materials!
Collect fascinating facts about the hummingbird's nesting cycle. Then share your writing project with others. Use the links below to get started:

recording sheets

nest scene
Photo: Alek Komarnitsky

Journal: Lanny's First Hummingbird Has Arrived!

Our hummingbird expert, Lanny Chambers collects hummingbird data from all over North America. So there's one hummingbird's arrival we especially like to know about each spring: the first one Lanny gets to see in his Missouri home.

Learn this year's arrival date, and compare with data from arrival dates starting in 1994.

 

Lanny
Lanny Chambers, Journey North's Ruby-throated Hummingbird Expert
Annual Evaluation: Please Share Your Thoughts
Will you take a few minutes to complete our Annual Evaluation? With your help, we can we document Journey North's reach, impact and value. We need comments like yours to keep the program going and growing.
annual evaluation
Getting Started: This Week's Hummingbird Resources
hummer nest
Alek Komarnitsky's Colorado
hummer nest.
More Hummingbird Lessons and Teaching Ideas!

The Next Hummingbird Migration Update Will Be Posted on May 4, 2011.