Just spotted a hummingbird at the feeder, first one I've seen this year...I've wondered about them, think this is late. Has anyone else seen them?

2017 migration map , with links to previous years below it

http://www.hummingbirds.net/ma...

oops , I forget it is just ruby throated and some other lucky people have additional types of hummers

Most of the time, it's very hard to know what kind it is here!

I was just looking this morning around where the coral honeysuckle is blooming but none in sight. My first sightings are usually around the first week of April. It's been a warm winter so may see one any day now. According the the map Kurt posted, they are here around the 18th of March. Guess I better get the sugar ready!

You're lucky they are seasonal. Mine stay year round, so I never get a break from the feeders. I also had a juvenile Hooded Oriole that missed it's flight to Mexico, and now I got an early adult male too. The Orioles manage the feeders just fine. They usually show up in April, so I'll have to get the big Oriole feeder out soon.

I can report hummingbird sightings in the Tampa, FL area!

The hummers have arrived in Central Texas!

That's great! There's a female and a male here. I was on a ladder trying to position the feeder so I could watch it better while I'm inside and a female hummer came up and fed right in front of me! I was getting down when a male came and fed. Only saw a dark throat on him, so not sure which kind. The Rubies are usually the earliest ones I see, but also could be a Black-chinned one.

for hummingbirds!

Although, Carol, I do feel for you because as much as I love seeing the hummingbirds arrive and feel sad when they leave, I appreciate the break from filling the feeders every day. It's a job around here, washing the feeders, making the nectar... last year I went through over 90 lbs. of sugar!

That's a lot of sugar! I ran my feeder through the dishwasher today and I'll put it back out tomorrow. Maybe. We're under an air pollution warning due to ozone levels so I might do it real quickly.

Luckily, I don't use sugar myself, but I do go through about a lb. a week for the birds at this time of year.

We don't use sugar either! The entire 90+ pounds of sugar was used to make hummingbird nectar!

I use stevia or agave nectar in my coffee and rarely bake sweets but when I do I normally use demerara sugar.

Glad to know I'm not alone when it comes to sugar. I wasn't raised on sugar, and never developed much of a sweet tooth. I don't sweeten any thing with the exception of an occasional shot of cinnamon schnapps in my coffee, when I can find it. If I get an urge, I can eat the occasional candy or ice cream, but if I buy more than a single serving, it finally goes in the trash. The only sweets I'm addicted to are fruit filled pasteries. Though I'm well read on health issues, this isn't what it's about for me. I just don't like most things that are to sweet. I was a real dud at birthday parties as a kid...didn't like sodas, ice cream, or cake...unless I scraped off the frosting. I keep a couple of sodas and juices for guests, but rarely drink them myself, and if they want sugar in their coffee or tea, I give them a spoon and the plastic canister of sugar.

Hi, I am writing a short article for a magazine concerning the new winter flyway for the western US/Canada hummingbirds. They all used to head to Mexico and on down to Central and South America. A few are getting down to northern Mexico, Arizona, New Mexico and making a left turn along the way and heading to the Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Georgia and up the east coast as far as Maryland. They are wintering along the way and will really benefit if we keep our feeders full in the winter. I have a request for those of you living along the Gulf States and up the east coast. Would you let me know if you see or have seen unusual hummingbirds at your feeder. If you have photos - even better. My choices are the ruby throated or rufous hummingbirds - anything else is unusual. Of course having them visit you in the winter is another marker we are looking for.

Carol, you sound a lot like me growing up and now.

Hi Barb, you found the right place where we will be posting updates and photos of the hummingbirds!

I'm keeping my eye out but haven't put any feeders up yet.

The Rufous ones did stick around here for a few winters, but not since then. I suspect some unusually cold weather was responsible for that change.

Allan's (Rufous sedentarious) , a channel islands strain are the ones that stay here, but we have a few Anna's and black chinned that stay too.

Here in Tallahassee, FL, they banded a calliope, a couple of black-chinned, rufous, and over-wintering ruby-throated hummers. We had a rufous banded here and recaptured in California a couple of months later. Also had one that was recaptured in Alaska. These little guys and girls sure get around.

Just 1 minute ago spotted our first hummer arrival of the year here. A male RT.