Journey North Hummingbirds | Lanny's First Hummer

Lanny Chambers' First Hummingbirds
2013 Arrival is Here!

The News!
Every year, Lanny Chambers collects reports of ruby-throated hummingbirds from all over America. He generously shares his data with Journey North.

So there's one hummingbird's arrival we especially like to know about each spring: the first one Lanny gets to see in his Missouri home.

The good news:
His first sighting (male): April 15
His first sighting (female): April 29

Scientists learn a lot from records kept by citizen observers over many years. Now you be the scientist and see what you can learn.

Lanny Chambers, Journey North's Ruby-throated Hummingbird Expert and creator of Hummingbirds.net

Try This: Sharpen Your Pencils...

1. Find where Lanny lives:
Lanny lives in Fenton, Missouri (near St. Louis). The latitude of Fenton is 38.50 N. The longitude is -90.46 W. Can you find it on a map?

2. Dig into his hummers' arrival dates:
The table to the right shows when they've appeared in the last 20 years.

In what year did Lanny's all-time earliest hummingbird arrive? His latest?
What is the range of dates for hummer arrivals? (The number of days between the earliest and latest arrival.)

3. Use your Hummingbird Journal to answer these questions:

List 2 things you notice about the arrival dates.
What factors might affect when Lanny's hummingbirds arrive?

Lanny's First Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Year	Date
2013	April 15
2012	April 14
2011	April 19
2010	May 2
2009	April 22
2008	April 20
2007	April 20
2006	April 16
2005	April 17
2004	April 20
2003	April 23
2002	April 17
2001	April 19
2000	April 16
1999	April 19
1998	April 16
1997	April 19
1996	April 20
1995	April 20
1994	April 22