Maybe you should text message them? :)

Dunno, friend, I hope they show up soon! The weather has been weird, so maybe that has something to do with it.

Be thankful they haven't arrived yet. This current cold front could be very hard for those that have already pushed north to survive.

Penny

Yes, I for one am glad I havent seen one yet considering the weather change and I have had my feeders out for a good week and Im seeing the same thing several sightings throughout my state and more north of me. I really dont anticipate seeing any for two or three weeks yet to be honest. Weather will decide how soon we see them.

Our Hummers still haven't showed up either and I'm in Buford, Ga. Expect them soon, maybe after this next cold spell this weekend. Kind of glad they haven't shown up yet since it will be down in the upper 20's this weekend.

Take heart, yardenman. Last year, the migration map showed birds appearing in my area on April 14th, and yet I didn't see my first until May 2nd. That's a full 18 days after the first sightings! I went on to have a very healthy season, with babies in the summer. I think I may have had only about 4 birds, but since I'm new at this, I'm hoping that as I plant more flowers and hang more feeders, they will gradually increase in numbers. My goodness, you're a veteran compared to me!

Ask yourself this, when did they return to your yard last year? Are they late this year compared with that? I'd be surprised if they were ever this early for you. If so, you can count yourself in the lucky minority. Anyway, your average return date, in your own yard should be a better predictor than any of those dots on a map. Those are from other people's yards, not yours.

This year, in your general area, the first bird was noticed in northern Virginia on March 26th, others in Maryland on the 27th and 31st. That was, at most, only 10 days ago that birds were just starting to show up in your general part of the country. Furthermore, I think this is a weird year because we had a lot of unseasonably warm March weather, which encouraged some very early movement. Like Penny, I'm fearing for a lot of those early birds with temperatures plummeting into the low 20's and snow forecast around here. It's good you have your feeders up, because any of those few birds that might show up are going to be desperate for food. Still, I'm guessing you've got another week or two to go before you'll see your first birds. That's normal, and to be expected.

As interesting, and wonderful and informative as that migration map is, it really does do a disservice by encouraging false expectations. I've said this several times last year, and this year, but I'll say it again--These little dots on the map are FIRST sightings. They do not represent the timing for the majority of birds. We all need to remember that the hummingbird migration is prolonged over several weeks. A few begin to arrive, it gradually builds to a peak in numbers of birds arriving and passing through, before tapering off to a trickle of late comers. Most of us are not going to see birds in the early weeks of migration. Yes, they're back in some of the northern states, but in VERY LOW NUMBERS. Your chances of seeing one will increase in the next week or two, especially when this cold spell loses its grip. I'm betting when the next warm front comes through in a week or two, there will be hummers zipping around your yard. You've been seeing them for 20 years, you say, so I would think their return is almost a certainty.

It's an anxious time for all of us up north, and I know that when the first ones start to appear in my area, I'm going to be wondering and worrying why I'm not seeing them. I'll have to keep reminding myself to take my own advice and try not to worry! I know, I...

I was surprised to see so many sightings in Z7. The weather was 80 yesterday, in the 30's last night, and 50 today and so windy. We are preparing the feeder as I write this, but we have no plants out yet. We only have a tiny balcony, so containers only and obviously space limited. Last year was our first year, and we had at least four hummers. This year we have a regular feeder out, which is frequented by song sparrows, purple finches and many goldfinches. I hope the hummers don't mind. From what I observed last year, the hummers may beat the **** out of the others lol.

Kristen et al - Now that we have had a day of snow in MD and several freezing nights, I'm glad I HADN'T seen any hummers yet. With the cold weather extending down into Georgia, the early arrivers could not retreat probably did not survive. I hope they found some warm spots to hide in.

I haven't recorded the dates they arrived in the past. Pre-internet, I used to just start putting up a couple feeders when it seemed warm out and waited. The past few years (seeing the migration maps), I've put them up when the first ones were about 100 miles south of me.

I never used to worry before I knew when they were supposed to arrive. Maybe more information is not always good! LOL!

It is supposed to stay cooler than average for the next week here, so I will be patient... But I think I will leave a feeder out "just in case".

When they come, it would be nice if you could mark it down in the "First Reports versus First Actual sightings" thread along with the first report arrival date that is closest to you on the map. I'm hoping people will continue to post as it gets warmer again and they resume their northward movement.

I know what you mean about this map stuff. It can make you crazy. I've got a single feeder outside, but it may be weeks before I see any birds. I never had that many to begin with, so hope my returnees aren't the ones that may well have perished during this cold spell.

Meanwhile, I've been trying to find out the status of the early northernmost migrants. I was wondering if any of those people who saw those first birds in Illinois, Indiana and Ohio are still seeing them. I tried to find out via the Journey North website, but the person there suggested I contact Lanny Chambers at the migration map site we've all been staring at. Lanny didn't know, and although he was kind enough to provide some useful general information, he seemed irritated that I had asked and didn't even seem to think it was a question worth asking. I got irritated with what seemed to me like a bad attitude on his part and then we exchanged a couple unpleasant emails, and now I still don't know.

I posted something on an Ohio birding website, but got no response. I really am curious. I know that Ruby-throats on the whole will be fine, but couldn't help but wonder about the fate of those early arrivals. I still don't know. Did they find enough food to weather the cold temperatures? I wonder. Would they have retreated south? Will there be a dip in the population this year? Probably no one knows.

Kristin, I'm so sorry you had a bad experience. Maybe Lanny was just having a particularly bad week. As someone who just put out my first feeder last year, I am eager to find out as much as I can, but I've noticed some eye rolling if I ask what are probably considered basic questions that one should just KNOW. I consider you one of the go-to people for advice and information, so please keep asking questions and sharing with us.

I think maybe I'm being a little unfair to Lanny, but he made me mad. I think he was overwhelmed by email, and was getting aggravated. I think he underestimated my knowledge and dismissed me as one of these bleeding heart emotional types who was just all worked up about her little baby hummingbirds--not that there's anything really wrong with that, it's just not an accurate image of me and he wasn't answering my question.

My question to him concerned whether he had any way of following up on those early map points that were in Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio. He gave me a sort of stock general answer, and was, at best, a little patronizing, and also at the same time came off sounding clinical and heartless. I called him on it and told him I wasn't an overly sentimental sort, but I was offended by his tone. I told him I was interested in the fate of those birds for both emotional AND scientific reasons. I reminded him that he could ill afford to come off sounding that way, given that a lot of the people who send those reports are probably very soft-hearted non-scientific types. I knew they wouldn't want to be lectured as I was with statements like, "don't feel sorry for birds that have an untenable plan." Or "Whatever happens to an individual bird is of no great consequence to the species." It could be argued that his points were valid, it's just that I thought they were presented in a needlessly cold way.

I had asked about THOSE PARTICULAR BIRDS, and if anyone was still seeing them. Not only did he not know, (which isn't necessarily a problem) but he didn't seem to care at all or view it as a valid or interesting question. That bugged me. I knew ruby-throats weren't going to go extinct, I was just feeling a little bad for those early ones (excuse me for having an emotional side!) and wondering if there had been any followup on their well-being from the people who made the original reports.

All that aside, I was so pleased to read the excerpt from his website that lucygreenthumb reported. In it, he took a much more pleasant and caring tone, and addressed many of the issues that were related to my question. Although my specific question about the fate of those individual birds is still unanswered, (and perhaps unanswerable) I feel a lot better about Lanny from that post. Although our emails to each other were snippy, maybe he heard what I had to say and understood that it was an important issue for me and many others. Still, I wish he were able to occasionally follow up on some of those reports in response to specific questions, especially questions like this of general interest to many. Perhaps he just doesn't have enough time. Still, I'm very pleased that he was responsive enough to put down some useful general information about hummingbirds and the recent cold snap.

In all fairness to Lanny, he indeed has been inundated with emails about the fate of the early migrant hummers and the arctic weather that has gripped so much of the country. Another thing to realize is that his website and the work his does with regards to the hummingbirds is not his real job. It is all voluntary that has grown into a job because of his love of hummingbirds and his way of sharing what he does know or can do to help foster that love in others. I imagine that there are times when he has a hard time drawing a line between his 'hobby' and his real job and life.

Penny

I'd like to say that I appreciate the Migration Map site and the effort it must take to maintain and update it on a daily basis. By the same token, it is a natural place to go to with questions about events that can seriously affect RT hummingbird migration (just one of the hazards that go along with having a popular website), so it is unfortunate and annoying to get a snippy response to a reasonable query.

The fate of the earliest migrating hummers can be a difficult issue. I love the hummers and hope that each and every one of them survived the cold weather (but doubt it). I also recognize that some of the earliest migrators perish from fluctuating weather conditions every year, and it can't be helped.

It is part of natural selection. Hummers whose instincts tell them to migrate early are both at greater risk and benefit. In good years, they can claim the best territory; in bad years, they die. The reverse is true for the last migrators. So, natural events keep the species instincts in the most successful range.

So, yes, overall the species suffers no harm (and possible benefit). But I'll feel badly for the individuals...

Yardenman

To yardenman--well said!

...and to myoneandonly, that was a very sweet thing you said about relying on me for information. Let me also say, that I, too rely on others on this forum to teach me more about these wondrous little birds. There is still so much that is unknown. A forum like this allows us to share our experiences, photos, learn from, and teach others. I think everyone who loves hummingbirds has potential to contribute, regardless of their level of knowledge. Sometimes I know stuff, but sometimes I need to do quite a bit of research before I can claim to know anything, and then there is always more that I don't know. It's especially fun when I learn answers to questions that I might have never even thought to ask. The nectar tubes on the lilies is a perfect example.

I happened to walk into the kitchen today after returning from a shopping trip and glanced out of the window to where I am planting hostas. You know how you subconciously learn all the details of your yard? Well, my eyes suddenly snapped 30 degrees east and 125 feet away to my toolshed.

Where a hummer feeder was hanging...

With a little dark spot next to it...

I ran to the deck to confirm what I saw. I have a hummer! Oh Happy Day!

Fantastic! I'm so happy for you. That cold snap has kept a lot of people waiting. I shouldn't really complain because they're not due quite yet in my yard. I saw my first on May 2nd last year, so should try to stay calm at least until then. It's hard, though. The first sightings of other people are giving me hope, but they're also driving me nuts!

I know what you mean about being subconsciously aware of your yard and then jolted by something different. So far, this same instinct has only led me to some false alarms--a blowing leaf, and a bumblebee or two.

Alas, nothing yet. Sigh.