Many thanks Ian for keeping us worried folks on the straight and narrow. 
All your data is very important and much appreciated.

Dick Harlow
Middlebury, VT



On 7/12/19 20:24, Ian Worley wrote:
> Hi All,
>
> Thought I'd see what the eBird data show for hummer habits.
>
> Using eBird frequency of observation graphs for all years, I looked at 
> data for three areas:
>
> "All"  All counties combined.
> "North"  Franklin, Orleans, and Essex counties combined
> "South"  Bennington and Windham counties combined
> "All-2019"  All counties combined, this year
>
> Did it this way to find out when in the spring we see the most 
> hummingbirds, in the summer when we see the fewest, and in the late 
> summers when we see the most.  And to see if the dates vary from north 
> to south
>
> Spring high -- North: May 15th to 31st.  South: May 15th to 31st. All: 
> May 15th to 31st.
> Summer low --  North: June 1st to 21st.  South: June 8th to 21st. All: 
> June 18th to 21st.
> Late summer high -- North:  Aug. 8th to 21st.  South:  Aug. 8th to 
> Sept. 15th.  All:  Aug. 8th to 31st.
>
> Spring arrivals appear to happen at the same time throughout the state.
> Summer periods of low numbers start earlier in the north, and end at 
> the same time throughout the state.
> The late summer highest numbers all begin at the same time throughout 
> the state, but is over soonest in the north.
>
> What about this year so far?
>
> Spring high -- North, South, All:  May 15 to June 8th.  Birds arrived 
> "on schedule" but kept visible in abundance a week longer
> Summer low -- North:  June 8th to 30th.  South: June 15th to 30th 
> All:  June 8th to June 21st.  The low frequencies of observation 
> appear to have have started a week later then usual, but did not 
> continue as long before rising numbers of birds being seen.
>
> All in all, the eBird data show the hummingbird arrive through out the 
> state all the same time, and then the breeding activities might start 
> a bit sooner in the north, and the last birds to leave are from 
> southern locations.
>
> The data for this year so far, show nothing much unusual, except the 
> breeding might have been delayed a few days, averaged for the whole 
> state.
>
> The actual frequency percentages of observations are quite uniform 
> around the state, except that they are somewhat lower in the three 
> most northern counties.
>
> Best wishes,
>
> Ian
> ======================
>
>
> On 7/12/2019 6:02 PM, Charlie La Rosa wrote:
>> I also noticed a similar drop for a few days earlier this month, but 
>> they
>> are back and busy now. Males and females and maybe some young 'uns.
>>
>> Also red-breasted nuthatch feeding a group of three young and a hermit
>> thrush with a nest of four eggs last week.
>>
>> Charlie La Rosa
>> So. Washington
>>
>> *“The solution to any problem---work, love, money, whatever---is to go
>> fishing, and the worse the problem, the longer the trip should be.”*
>>
>> ~ John Gierach, from *Standing in a River Waving a Stick*
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> On Fri, Jul 12, 2019 at 12:18 PM alison wagner <[log in to unmask]> 
>> wrote:
>>
>>> I am still seeing female adults at the feeder and yesterday a very 
>>> fresh
>>> (and naïve) fledgling, first watching the adult, then slowly 
>>> figuring out
>>> how to get the syrup!  The competitive males have been MIA.
>>> Ali Wagner
>>>   Huntington
>>>
>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>> From: "Richard Harlow" <[log in to unmask]>
>>> To: "Vermont Birds" <[log in to unmask]>
>>> Sent: Friday, July 12, 2019 9:13:02 AM
>>> Subject: Re: [VTBIRD] Where have all the hummers gone? (Long time 
>>> passing)
>>>
>>> Many thanks for this report! As a previous bander for 20+ years I truly
>>> appreciate your work and your experience!
>>> I have also experienced this seemingly abrupt drop in hummer feeder
>>> activity. Also, I have noticed, at least here in Middlebury, VT, a drop
>>> in butterfly species along with general decrease in pollinators, and
>>> hoping that the decrease in hummers was not significant. Therefore,
>>> again thanks for your report.
>>>
>>> Dick Harlow, Middlebury, VT
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> On 7/12/19 08:46, anneboby wrote:
>>>> Your observation about recent hummer scarcity is not alone, but 
>>>> fledging
>>> has not yet occurred.  I band Ruby-throats at Jenny Lake near 
>>> Corinth, NY
>>> in the SE corner of the Adirondack State Park and based on over 40 
>>> yrs of
>>> banding, newly fledged juveniles typically appear at the feeders 
>>> about 25
>>> July.
>>>> These past two weeks hummers have been very scarce at my feeders.  
>>>> Also,
>>> I received a report 1-2 weeks ago from folks at Mooselookmeguntic 
>>> Lake in
>>> Franklin Co., ME where I also band that suddenly hummers disappeared 
>>> from
>>> their feeders where previously they had been abundant.  Based on 
>>> about 20
>>> yrs of banding there in June and August, as well as reports from 
>>> Mooselook
>>> feeder operators, there are years when hummer numbers drop in July then
>>> come surging back in early August as newly fledged young appear.
>>>> I'm not sure what causes the sometime July slump, but natural food is
>>> abundant at this time and based on experience in ME, hummers range 
>>> up to
>>> 2-2.5 mi. between feeders.  I band at five feeder locations there 
>>> along the
>>> lake shore and there is an exchange of birds among these feeders.  
>>> At Jenny
>>> Lake I've experienced recaptures of hummers within 1-2 hrs of 
>>> banding at a
>>> site 1.4 mi. away.  So, hummers don't just park at one feeder; they 
>>> roam
>>> about.
>>>> Keep your feeders out...all is not lost.
>>>> Bob YunickSchenectady, NY
>>>>
>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>> From: Larry & Mona Rogers <[log in to unmask]>
>>>> To: VTBIRD <[log in to unmask]>
>>>> Sent: Fri, Jul 12, 2019 6:57 am
>>>> Subject: [VTBIRD] Where have all the hummers gone? (Long time passing)
>>>>
>>>> Until about ten days ago we had lots of hummingbirds at our small 
>>>> feeder
>>> - we were refilling it every day or two.  Suddenly activity slowed way
>>> down.  Is it possible that this year's young hummers have all 
>>> fledged and
>>> their parents have stopped using our feeders?
>>>> We don't remember this from previous summers.
>>>> Any thoughts?
>>>> Larry and Mona
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Sent from my iPhone
>>>>
>