Ruth Sullivan's letter about the ANNA'S HUMMINGBIRD in her yard came at an
opportune time to write about our own experience with these birds.

When we moved to our present house in central Seattle thirty years ago we
saw RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRDS visiting the Honeysuckle blossoms over our deck but
never even imagined that we might be treated to watching hummers year round.
I think it was a young Dennis Paulson who suggested putting up a feeder
sometime late that fall. I thought that this would prove to be simply a
waste of sugar, but to our amazement there was an ANNA'S at the feeder the
very next morning. Word of this got around, and we had to put out extra
chairs for other enthusiastic birders.

We have had ANNA'S visiting ever since. They are with us almost all year
except for about a month or so in the spring. There have always been several
around, since we often see two, or occasionally three, at once. Normally
they are feisty little creatures; they would rather chase an intruder off
than share the feeder, even in the coldest weather. Then it is necessary to
add enough sugar to the water to make the solution the viscosity of maple
syrup, just to keep it from freezing. We normally can see one of "our"
hummers perched on a nearby branch, seemingly waiting for another to appear
at the feeder. Before the intruder can feed, it is chased away by the first.
I am not sure what this means since it is not the same bird which watches
over the feeder all the time; it seems as likely to be a male as a female
which waits and then chases. It is frustrating for us to watch this behavior
when it's cold, as it seems to be an awful waste of the birds' energy. This
scenario has been repeated innumerable times, and we often can follow the
pair for hundreds of feet as they zigzag until out of sight.

While visiting friends in California this summer we were surprised to see
their feeder hung so that when sitting on their deck it was at eye level. We
had never even thought of that, having looked up at our own feeder for
thirty years without questioning why. What a treat, upon returning, to lower
our own feeder to see what we'd missed all those years. And we were promptly
rewarded. Within a week there was a RUFOUS and an ANNA'S perched and feeding
simultaneously. For a moment I thought I had died and gone to Ramsey Canyon!

And miracle of miracles: on Monday of this week I glanced at the feeder and
saw two ANNA'S perched there at once. One was clearly a male, but I was too
stunned at the sight of the two of them to reach for my binoculars to get a
good view of the other, its back toward me. Obviously nervous at the other's
presence, the two swayed their heads a bit from side to side as if getting
better perspective of the other. Each dipped its bill to feed for no more
than a second or two. When I rose to get my glasses the birds disappeared.
But we'd seen thirty year's belligerence pause for a moment of detente there
on our own deck. Combined with watching a PEREGRINE FALCON chasing a
EURASIAN KESTREL a few days earlier, it's made the gloomy weather a lot
brighter.

David Chelimer
Seattle