>The data are a little sparse but it looks like there could be two migration
>paths. Those using the coast were as far north as the Columbia River by
>2/9. Need data from farther north including west coast of vancouver island
>to support this. The other group seems to have gone up the Willamette-Puget
>lowland, reaching Longview by 3/8, Olympia, 3/9, and Guemes, 3/13. Should
>be in Bellingham this afternoon! (i couldn't find any yesterday).Could also
>be an even
>later route, east of the cascades, but no word there yet. Keep reporting!
>Clark Blake phone: (360) 650-3595
>Department of Geology fax: (360) 650-7302
>Western Washington University
>Bellingham, WA 98225
>
>

Tonight (3/13) we asked Ruth Fischer about hummingbird arrival in the
TriCities. Her comments were interesting. She said that the hummingbirds
don't arrive as early here as there is no food. She says that she hangs her
feeders around April 1, just in case, but that she usually doesn't see birds
until the wild roses and/or Black locust bloom.

Checking Lower Columbia Basin Audubon's newsletters (The Curlew) for the
last 2 years, there were the following reports. A male Rufous 4/25/95, a
female Calliope on 4/29/95, another Calliope 4/26/94, a Rufous 4/28/94, and
a Black-chinned 4/30/94. Two of these earliest sightings were Ruth's.

Looks like you'll have to wait a little for the first eastside report!


Bill and Nancy LaFramboise
Richland, WA
wlafra at oneworld.owt.com