The dry, sunny and temperate conditions that describe this winter's
weather pattern have coxed the willows to bloom here in Clatsop
County. I'm told that the Salmonberry, and manzanita are already
blooming in Curry County.

It's time to clean your hummingbird feeder.

Last year we began an effort to monitor the movements of
migrant hummingbirds and collected remarkable first arrival
data from Northern California all the way to Alaska. We also
tried for peak movement data using a form available at:

http://home.pacifier.com/~neawanna/humm/count.html

The folks at http://birdnotes.net will be helping out this
year. Using the "My home" function, you will be able to report
daily hummingbird numbers on line.

If you've not already done so, register at the birdnotes site
(it's free) and set up a yardlist by choosing the "add/edit
My home" link from your work space.

Then, when hummingbirds start visiting your feeder, take 10 minutes
and count 'em. File a new census report. Time counted is .17.
Check the add footnotes box and include number of males, number
of females and number unsexed. Include time of day in the comments
box.

And feel free to include non-hummingbird species on the census
form.

I'll still be happy to take the snail mail forms instead, available
at the count site. And any flower or insect counting is still
via the forms.

--
Mike Patterson Alas, to wear the mantle of Galileo,
Astoria, OR it is not enough to be persecuted
celata at pacifier.com by an unkind establishment,
you must also be right.
---Robert Park
http://www.pacifier.com/~mpatters/bird/bird.html