I was fixing dinner and read your post. I started to answer you to whine about how I had not seen one yet this year. (Last year my first sighting was on April 6.) The timer on the oven went off so I got up to get dinner out.....and there she was!!! The first one at my window feeder for the year. What a coincidence. I live in St Louis county also, about 7 miles from Chesterfield. Have not seen a male and they usually arrive first. I hope that is not a bad sign.

Mizmom, The one that I saw was a male. I usually don't see the little ladies for awhile. He stopped by my window feeder as well as the one I have in my back yard. I am just glad they are back.

We had a brief visit from a male on the 19th then didn't see another one until the 23rd, another male, who started visiting my feeder regularly. Then a female showed up yesterday (25th). I wonder if the pairs travel together but the females stay back until the males make sure it's safe or if they really do travel separately.
Mizmom - I do think it's strange that the female showed up first. Hope there's a male around and you just haven't seen him yet. Or maybe it's a young female that didn't have a mate yet. ???
Do you have any hummingbird plants blooming right now? I don't at all but did go buy some annual red salvia for them. Wish I could find 'Lady in Red' but haven't seen any yet.

Christie-
It was always my understanding that the males migrated north first and then staked out "their territory". I don't think the males and females stay together for more than one season but I do not know that for sure. Actually I am not even certain that the males help with raising the young. I don't remember seeing pictures of males feeding babies or sitting on nests. Again, I am no expert and just enjoy feeding and watching them.

I do not really have much blooming since the freeze damaged alot my my tender landscaping. I did buy "lady in red's" at Weithop greenhouse in St Louis County but it's not blooming yet. My black and blue salvia, which seems to be a favorite, is coming up in the garden (for the 4th year) but it won't be blooming for awhile. I do have some blue Columbine blooming but I have never seen the hummingbirds near it. I also bought some red Pentas that I potted last weekend, but I have never seen them near Pentas either. .... but I do have 3 full feeders just waiting.

Saw my first hummer on May 6 in the garden - a male. The male is always the first to appear every year. I guess the female nests first, then dominates the garden in 2-3 weeks, the kids following suit.
I have a lot of success with blue-black salvias. They love these plants, which bloom consistently up until winter.
I really think they hate going south later in the year they love these plants so much.

Where are you located, Doug? I'd like to include you in the first sightings versus the map sightings thread, but I don't know your location and what map dot on the migration map is closest to you.

Here is a link that might be useful: Migration Map