#1)To Report your 2003 New England Hummingbird sighting on-line click here
#2)Please report your "First" female Hummingbird along with your first Male
#3) Please report the maximum number of Hummingbirds in your area during the month of May
To see your data and how New England's spring 2003 migration of Hummingbirds is progressing click on the map link below.
New England Hummers Spring 2003 Migration Map
First reports of 2003 from East Lyme, CT, 4/14 and Newburyport, MA 4/20
If this is your first report of the year please read this pages contents before posting. Thank you.
New England Hummers is a research project designed to learn more about our beautiful Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris), as well as other less common species of Hummers in New England. Our region includes the six states of Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine. The Project Director is Sharon Stichter.
The aims of the project, with respect to Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, are:
To update existing information on arrival and departure dates for different locations in our region, tracking yearly variations.
To add to existing maps of the distribution of Hummers across the region, identifying possible migration corridors, hotspots and areas lacking in Hummingbirds.
To estimate year to year hummer population variations during nesting season, as well as numbers of migrants.
To determine what species of woody vegetation and what ecological niches Hummingbirds use as nesting sites.
To investigate the impact of feeders on Hummingbird populations and distribution.
To report research results on these web pages and to cooperate with and provide data to other nationwide Hummingbird tracking efforts.
This project depends on citizen observation as the primary source of data. We would welcome the assistance of birders, gardeners and nature lovers in actively looking for and reporting sightings of Hummingbirds and Hummingbird nests. We would also welcome your participation as a site or feeder monitor.
HOW TO REPORT YOUR SIGHTINGS: Please report your sightings directly to New England Hummers here on the website, using our on-line form. Or, simply report the sighting to the birding listserve in your state, if there is one. These include: MABird - RIBirds - NHBirds - MEBirds and VTBirds. PLEASE NOTE that all Connecticut sightings must be reported directly through the website. To report on-line, "Click here"
TO VOLUNTEER AS A SITE OR FEEDER MONITOR: If a female or a male hummer has settled into your yard and feeder area, you are in a good position to monitor your site and send in a few observations over the summer. To do this, simply use our on-line form for site monitors "Click here". This asks you for the maximum number of hummingbirds in May and in June/July, and for your last hummer sightings. You could also be on the lookout for a hummingbird nest somewhere in your area. If you want to be on our list of site monitors and receive fuller instructions, please send an email to nehummers@attbi.com
CONTRIBUTIONS FROM AROUND NEW ENGLAND: Currently featuring: HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE SPRING ARRIVAL SEASON (arrival of females, hummers in urban areas, site fidelity, and other topics...)
WRITE TO US! We are starting a page on the website for contributions from you, our readers and visitors. Send in your questions about hummers, your own experiences and anecdotes, and any data you may have from monitoring feeders in your yard. (See, for example, the information drawn from yards in Newbury and Essex, MA ) We would like to get a better idea of the differences in various parts of New England....for example, what, if anything, is in bloom when hummers arrive up there in ME, NH and VT? Send your contributions , long or short, to us at nehummers@attbi.com We'll edit them and put them up on our Contributions from Around New England page. And thanks.
Thanks for reporting your Hummers! For more information about this research, please be in touch with me, Sharon Stichter, at nehummers@attbi.com
For a look at first arrivals, first females, maximum numbers and departure dates for two yards over the last several years click below.
NE Hummers 1998 - 2002 Newbury & Essex, MA Yard Data
Links to loads of Hummer Information:
Spring Arrival of Ruby-throated Hummingbirds in New England, 1997 - 2002
Lanny Chambers Ruby-throated Hummingbird migration maps - With past years data and this years day to day progress
ABOUT THE PROJECT DIRECTOR: Sharon Stichter has been a butterflier and birder for many years. She is Professor Emerita of Sociology at the University of Massachusetts at Boston. She maintains a large Hummingbird and Butterfly garden in Newbury, MA, providing bed and breakfast to many Hummers! She also serves as Editor of the journal Massachusetts Butterflies.