Hi Tweets,

Mike Patterson writes:

>The average arrival date for Clatsop Co. OR (Astoria) is Feb 21 and further
>south (Coos Bay) about Feb 14. Brookings/Harbour has already reported
>both Allen's and Rufous, but with the caveat that they were about 10 days
>early.
>
>This would Cougar Mt arrival dates singularly unusual.

after Rob Conway had written:

>>So - I went and checked my records for first sitings of Rufous
>>Hummingbirds. All of these sitings were in the same general location on
>>Cougar Mountain.
>>
>>1990 - Feb 12
>>1991 - March 1 (significant snow in mid-Feb if I recall)
>>1992 - Feb 13
>>1993 - Feb 10
>>1994 - Feb 20
>>1995 - Feb 16
>>1996 - Feb 12
>>1997 - Feb 14
>>
>>That makes ~Feb 16 as the average date.

An inland site has an *average* arrival date for Rufous Hummingbird
Selasphorus rufus almost a week ahead of a coastal site that's at least ~160
km (~100 mi) to the southwest? Even though birds usually migrate along the
coast well before inland migration? I checked in Birds of the Okanagan
Valley by CanningsX3 to see if there were an early Interior migration. Nope:
much later than the coast, on average Week 4 April or Week 1 May, with
earliest records in mid-April. So a mid-February average arrival this far
west and north is quite anomalous. This Cougar Mountain site sounds like it
has some real surprises that might necessitate rewriting some assumptions
about northbound hummingbird migration.

Michael Price A brave world, Sir,
Vancouver BC Canada full of religion, knavery and change;
mprice at mindlink.net we shall shortly see better days.
Aphra Behn (1640-1689)