Birds and Nature

I put together the map below to show which states Ruby-throated, Black-chinned and Broad-tailed Hummingbirds have been reported on Ebirds. I choose the most widespread hummingbird species seen in the U.S. with one exception. I did not put Rufous Hummingbirds on this map since so many of them overwintered in various parts of the U.S. making it difficult to discern if reported birds were migrating in or had been around. It is no surprise that our southern-most states have already had a number of reports of migrating hummingbirds. There was one surprise–the Ruby-throated Hummingbird all the way up in Indiana (though on it’s very southern border). Though one could wonder if this was an accurate sighting, the sightings on Ebird have been vetted by regional reviewers who check out such unusual reports. That is why I used Ebird reports instead of the other hummingbird maps available online (they may have good information but do not provide information about having a vetting process). Se...