Cascadia Hummingbird Report - 04/21/2003

Reports continued this week from southern Alaska. Reports also
came from Salmon Arm, BC near Kamloops and Kooskooskie, WA which
is approaching the Idaho border east of Walla Walla. A possible
female Rufous was reported at Camp Sherman near Sisters, OR. The
observer was not completely certain of the ID and females arriving
before males would be unusual. East of the Cascades arrivals in
many areas are now officially late, so a female first report becomes
more likely. And the weather is slowly coming around to something
more spring-like, so things should start popping.

Prince Rupert, BC 04-02-2003 92 54.3167 130.3167
Amalga Harbor, AK 04-12-2003 102 58.4947 134.7933
Juneau, AK (3) 04-13-2003 103 58.3019 134.4197
Pelican, AK 04-14-2003 104 57.9608 136.2275
Juneau, AK (4) 04-16-2003 106 58.3019 134.4197
Salmon Arm, BC 04-17-2003 107 50.7000 119.2667
Kooskooskie, WA 04-19-2003 109 46.0103 118.1192

Two of the female Rufous Hummingbirds captured on Saturday, April 19,
were sporting not quite fully developed brood patches. The brood
patch is a highly vascularized bare spot that develops on the belly
of breeding females. It is there to more efficiently transfer heat to
incubating eggs on a nest and are considered good evidence of local
breeding.

To follow along with the hummingbird migration for 2003 and report
hummingbird arrivals in your area, visit:
http://home.pacifier.com/~neawanna/humm/count.html

--
Mike Patterson
Astoria, OR
celata at pacifier.com

A child who becomes acquainted with the birds about him
hears every sound and puzzles out its meaning with a cleverness
that amazes those with ears who hear not.

-Neltje Blanchan

http://www.pacifier.com/~mpatters/bird/bird.html