Journey North News: Spring 2010
Posted Wednesdays: Feb. 3, 17,24, Mar. 3, 10, 17, 24, 31, Apr. 7, 14, 21, 28, May 5, 12, 19, 26, Jun 2, 9
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Photo: Russ Thompson
A flush of new sighting reports—32 total rufous this week— yet it seems the rufous migration is holding at the 49th latitude. Learn about one of the hummer's most amazing adaptation - how they so efficiently drink nectar. Look at the differences in our 2 species migrations so far. Learn why they are so different. And keep your eyes on the wind and weather to predict what the migrations will do by next week.
Photo: D. Edington
A few days of southern winds and more ruby-throats have been spotted along the Gulf Coast. Traffic will slow down as a cold front brings rain this week. Most early hummingbird sightings are males. Find out why. Study a poster of pictures showing hummers doing various things. Observe them like a scientist. What do you wonder about hummingbirds? Save your questions and submit them to our expert starting Friday.
Photo: Russ Thompson
Just like clockwork, last week the first migrating ruby-throated hummingbirds showed up on US soil. However, the weather could cause a stall in the migration until winds shift from north to south later in the week. Will the south winds bring with them the first big numbers of rubythroats? How do ruby-throated hummingbirds get here? Let's dig into these questions and explore your ideas.
Sighters in the western states are seeing the first scattered rufous sightings, but we are still waiting for the first reports of ruby-throated hummingbirds. Keep your eye on the map for sightings along the Gulf Coast. How can weather maps help you predict when they will cross the Gulf? Here's one example of a map that might help. Learn about the geography of the migration as you make your own map to use this season.
Visit a tropical farm in Costa Rica where 9 species of hummingbirds can be found, including our ruby throat. What does the wintering grounds have to offer these migrating birds? Some hummers have been sighted in the north. Why this is happening? Use your imagination: send a postcard home from the wintering grounds-before migration starts.
Welcome to Journey North's 17th season! Meet and get to know our hummingbirds. We will be tracking the spring migration of the ruby-throated and rufous hummingbirds on their journey north this spring. Why do they come back north? Explore this question in this week's Update and slideshow.
Photo:M. Zinkova
We know at least three ruby-throated hummingbirds have reached their winter home in Costa Rica! Patricia Nethercote announced the news from her backyard in Guayabo de Bagaces, and she sent snapshots to prove it. Meanwhile, our migration maps show hummingbirds are going, going, and almost gone from Cananda and much of the United States. If you are still seeing hummingbirds, please let us know! Photo: Patricia Nethercote
Hummingbird
Migration Update: September 22, 2009
While
people in the north were saying their last goodbyes, hummingbird migration
reached a peak last week in the Gulf Coast states. Swarms of hungry hummingbirds
appeared in backyard feeders as they poured down from the north. Please
continue to report your hummingbird observations regularly. The goal of
our map is to show when and where hummingbirds were present this fall.
Photo:
Bill Morris
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