Seward, Alaska
In the dusk around 5 pm on Tuesday, October 21, I spotted the distinctive silhouette of the elusive ANNA’S HUMMINGBIRD quietly perching on a bare branch of an aspen tree near the feeder. I did not see it feed.
On Wednesday, it rained so hard during a big storm, I needed windshield wipers on my kitchen window. I leaped up, camera in hand when the hummer zoomed in to the feeder around 9:30 am.
Though the light was dim and the rain ran in rivulets down the window, I snapped a photo though the glass as he turned and flashed his scattered magenta speckles. The minimal spangles lead me to think he is an immature male. I wonder if youngsters are extending their range from BC, or if he was a born and raised Alaskan?
I did not see him on Thursday, but after another dreary, dim, rainy morning, the sun peeked out around noon and the hummer returned. He seemed a bit jumpy, flitting up then back, maybe wary of the Nuthatches and Chickadees zipping in and out of the big-bird exclosure. But he soon settled back down to rest on the handy feeder perch while he sipped the cold sugar solution.
He's a toughie! As the news traveled, other neighbors were considering putting up their hummingbird feeders too. Spread the joy! Nothing like the sight of a tiny hummingbird to cheer one up on these otherwise gloomy days.
Happy Birding!
Carol Griswold
Seward Sporadic Bird Report Reporter
Update: Hummer bander extraordinaire, Todd Eskelin, confirmed that this is definitely a hatch-year male. The closest known breeders are in Juneau, so he could have hatched in SE Alaska, but Todd thought it more likely he came from British Columbia, Canada. Over 75% of the Anna's he has banded have been hatch-year males. They are the most likely to disperse to new areas.
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