Spring 2003 Arrival Maps
Cumulative Phase IV map , through May 15, 2003:
2003 Hummingbird Migration Maps - Arrival Dates
April 14-24, 2003: Phase I
During this period an initial wave of coastal migrants moved northeast, through Rhode Island, eastern Massachusetts, and up to Maine. They bypassed Cape Cod, western Massachusetts, and western Connecticut. Hummingbirds reached the Sebago Lake region by 4/20-22, were stopped in New Hampshire by the White Mountains, and reached Nova Scotia by 4/25-28. Then a few days of cooler temperatures and rain in southern New England led to a pause. In this period Hummingbirds also reached northwestern Vermont, probably moving up the Hudson River Valley and along Lake Champlain, rather than by a coastal route.
April 23, 2003 Map
April 26 - May 1, 2003: Phase II
Ruby-throated Hummingbirds began arriving again in good numbers into more areas of Connecticut and Rhode Island, and into Cape Cod, and southeastern and northeastern Massachusetts. Their flight through western Connecticut is nicely illustrated on the map. They were still not reported from central and western Massachusetts, due to the higher elevations there. Reports were increasing in New Hampshire and Vermont, and in suburbs closer to Boston.
May 1, 2003 Map
May 2-8, 2003: Phase III
On May 2 and 3, Hummingbirds
seemed to arrive "all at once" in western Massachusetts in the Connecticut River
valley, probably moving up from the south. In New Hampshire and Maine,
also, reports increased dramatically on these dates, when there were several
reports along the Connecticut River and at higher elevations. More reports were
added in southern New England as well. For western Massachusetts and southern
New Hampshire, there were more reports on 5/02 than any other day so far, making
that a major migration day in those regions. By May 7 a hummer had been reported
at Lubec, the easternmost point on the coast of Maine, and by May 6 they had
reached as far north as Dover-Foxcroft, Maine. In New Hampshire, a hummingbird
was reported on May 7 at Jackson in the White Mountains, at an elevation of
1000'.
The striking increase in total reported sightings between May 1 and May 8 confirms that for most of Massachusetts, and southern New Hampshire, Maine and Vermont, the first week in May was the key time to expect hummingbirds this year. In Connecticut, most reported arrivals were just at the end of April, while in northern Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont, arrivals became more widespread only in the second week in May.
May 8, 2003 Map
Phase IV map, cumulative through May 15, 2003, is seen at the top of the page. Many areas where hummers were not yet reported, were filled in during the period of May 8 through 15.
Maps and Text
© Sharon Stichter
5/15/03
A portion of the map data is courtesy of Lanny Chambers. See www.hummingbirds.net