Hi Tweeters,
I see there was a query about the Xantus' hummingbird this morning so for
anyone that missed the story here is ours.
November 16 last year our daughter who was visiting saw a hummingbird at the
window. During the next few days we spotted it in the garden at the fushia
and winter jasmine. We realized it was different that the Anna's we
sometimes winter. Birding experts came in and it was identified. It stayed
in our yard here in Gibsons, just up the coast from Vancouver B.C. until
into April when it moved to another yard about 1000 feet away. We had many
visitors to see it and the feeling was it got caught in a violent storm in
October and eventually wandered here. I believe there has only been one
other confirmed sighting of one out of its Baja home. San Diego I think. It
is not a migratory bird. I am sure there are lots of people out there on
Tweeters that have come to see this little bird. We had over 1260 and the
new host has had around 200 I think. It is still around in the neighbourhood
although most of the Rufous have gone. We will keep a feeder out in hopes we
have it back this winter. It has been here for 9 months now.
An interesting observation my husband, Lloyd, made was three times during
the winter seeing it in a pile of cold wood ash from our stove eating the
ash. We came across an article in Birders World for August by a Jerome
Jackson where he observed a Cuban Emerald doing the same thing. and it is
apparently a need for lacking minerals in their diet. Interesting!

Gerrie Patterson
Gibsons, B.C.
birdsabundant at sunshine.net