Anna's hummingbird overwintering in my yard

[Leslie]

I decided not to feed the birds this winter because we hoped to be moving in January, and I didn't want to abandon them during winter when they might be depending upon my feeder. So I held out until last week, when I saw an Anna's hummingbird looking for food at my newly frozen fuchsia. (Anna's will winter on the Pacific NW coast.) I'm now putting out a feeder for this little one ... bringing the feeder in at night (so the ice can melt) and back out in the morning. I'll be making a run to the nursery to hopefully find some winter blooming flowers. Hopefully this cold snap will pass soon.

The Anna's is a life bird for me, so this is pretty cool, if a hassle.

Our move has been delayed a few months. Hmm. That means I can buy some seed for the others, too! I quit feeding in September, and it's amazing how much I've missed feeding the birds.

Anybody else have a winter hummingbird?

Leslie

[dapjwy]

Congratulations on you life bird, Leslie.

I hope it will be okay...being from Pennsylvania I can't imagine a humingbird this time of year.

[Leslie]

Originally Posted by dapjwy

I hope it will be okay...being from Pennsylvania I can't imagine a humingbird this time of year.

Dap, I'm told that this area is warmed by the Pacific currents, which are responsible for our mild (zone 7 & 8) winters. (On the East side of the Cascades, it gets cold!) We do get coccasional really cold snaps, like this one. The Anna's hummingbird range has extended north in recent years to Vancouver, BC.

Anna’s are able to survive winters as far north as British Columbia, in large part because they eat more insects and arachnids than most hummingbirds. These bugs provide a slower metabolizing source of food for long cold nights. ...

Hummingbirds are also able to survive short periods of sub-freezing weather by lowering their metabolic rate and entering a state of torpor.

Anna’s Hummingbirds, The Hummingbirds of Winter

I hope he'll be okay, too! This is my 5th winter here, and it's the first time I'm aware of that an Anna's has graced my yard in wintertime.

[Rebek56]

Leslie, where are you going? Your part of the country is beautiful!

[dapjwy]

Originally Posted by Leslie

Dap, I'm told that this area is warmed by the Pacific currents, which are responsible for our mild (zone 7 & 8) winters. (On the East side of the Cascades, it gets cold!) We do get coccasional really cold snaps, like this one. The Anna's hummingbird range has extended north in recent years to Vancouver, BC.

I guess my geography isn't too good...but I do remember it is supposed to be a Mediterranean climate, so I shouldn't've been so surprised.

Originally Posted by Leslie

I hope he'll be okay, too! This is my 5th winter here, and it's the first time I'm aware of that an Anna's has graced my yard in wintertime.

I'm so glad you discovered him.

Where did you move from?

[Leslie]

My husband and I moved from south Louisiana to Olympia, WA in summer '09. We've been renting, and we're hoping to purchase a place of our own sometime soon in this area.

We love it here -- the climate is perfect and it is so beautiful. Many people complain about the rain, but although I enjoy a sunny day as much as anyone else, I love the rainforests, so I can hardly object to the rain.

[dapjwy]

Originally Posted by Leslie

My husband and I moved from south Louisiana to Olympia, WA in summer '09. We've been renting, and we're hoping to purchase a place of our own sometime soon in this area.

We love it here -- the climate is perfect and it is so beautiful. Many people complain about the rain, but although I enjoy a sunny day as much as anyone else, I love the rainforests, so I can hardly object to the rain.

I'm glad you are happy there. Nice to know the move was good for you.

[havalotta]

Hello Leslie
Welcome back!!!

Have you settled into a new home yet?

[Leslie]

Hi Havalotta! We're still renting a nice little place, lots of woods around. Hopefully we can get a place of our own in the next year. I've moved around a lot in the last 25 years, so I've never had the opportunity to watch my garden mature. I'm really hoping to find my forever home and do some real wildlife gardening. For now, it's mostly potted plants.

[havalotta]

Do you container garden? Veggies?
I did a tomato trial and a pepper trial in large pots on the porch.
I liked the fact that they were nice and close, Raised for easy pickings, and hardly a weed but Boy oh boy...
As they grew, so did their water requirements!