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Lanny Chambers' First Hummingbirds
2015 Arrival is Here!
The News!
Every year, Lanny Chambers collects reports of ruby-throated hummingbirds from all over America. He generously shares his data with Journey North.

So there's one hummingbird's arrival we especially like to know about each spring: the first one Lanny sees at his Missouri home.

This year's first sighting: April 26, 2015 (a male)

Scientists learn a lot from records kept by citizen observers over many years. Now you be the scientist and see what you can learn.

 Lanny Chambers
Lanny Chambers, Journey North's Ruby-throated Hummingbird Expert and creator of Hummingbirds.net
Try This: Sharpen Your Pencils...

1. Find where Lanny lives:
Lanny lives in Fenton, Missouri (near St. Louis). The latitude of Fenton is 38.50 N. The longitude is -90.46 W. Can you find it on a map?

2. Dig into his hummers' arrival dates:
The table to the right shows when they've appeared in the last 21 years.
  • In what year did Lanny's all-time earliest hummingbird arrive? His latest?
  • What is the range of dates for hummer arrivals? (The number of days between the earliest and latest arrival.)

3. Use your Hummingbird Journal to answer these questions:

  • List two things you notice about the arrival dates.
  • What factors might affect when hummingbirds arrive?

 
Lanny's First Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Year

Date

2015 April 26
2013 April 15
2012 April 14
2011
April 19
2010
May 2
2009
April 22
2008
April 20
2007
April 20
2006
April 16
2005
April 17
2004
April 20

2003

April 23

2002

April 17

2001

April 19

2000

April 16

1999

April 19

1998

April 16

1997

April 19

1996

April 20

1995

April 20

1994

April 22