> At 09:11 AM 3/5/97 -0800, you wrote:
> > Our pair of Annas are in full breeding plumage and displaying courtship
> >behavior. The seem to centralize around one of our large Laurel
> >"trees", fairly close to the feeder. Is it possible/probable that they
> >will nest there?

On Wed, 5 Mar 1997, Peggi Rodgers wrote:
> >
> Yes, indeed. But good luck finding the nest, Jane - they're so tiny and
> hard to spot.
>

Two comments: first, the nests are tiny, but the females will sometimes
lead you to them. At least, The hummingbird nests I remember finding (I
can remember one each of four different species, improbably), were as easy
to find as standing and watching a hummer, who flew then flew to her nest.
So maybe dumb luck will help you, too.

Second comment: I don't think Anna's Hummers (or any hummers) "pair" in
the sense that a male and a female associate with each other long enough
to raise kids. Males display, females visit them and mate, and females go
off on their own to build the nest, lay and incubate the eggs, and raise
the young. So perhaps the hummers are both finding something to eat, like
spiders, in your laurel tree? Could it be that the laurel is the male's
favorite display perch, and the female has been visiting him there for
matings? Or perhaps you're onto an aspect of hummingbird social life that
has escaped me. It would be interesting to hear more about the "pairlike"
behavior of your birds.

Chris Hill
Everett, WA
cehill at u.washington.edu