Fueling up yet? Q Are the hummingbirds here yet? I'm wondering when to put up my feeders.

A The first ruby-throats tend to turn up around May 1 in our area, but you might want to put out your feeder a week or so before then, for the early arrivers. So how about an arbitrarily selected day like this Thursday?

You might enjoy this website, which tracks the migration of ruby-throated hummingbirds as they make their way north: www.hummingbirds.net/map.html.

Val Cunningham, a St. Paul nature writer, bird surveyor and field trip leader, can be reached at valwrites@comcast.net.