Hi Erin,

Do you have a photo of your feeder (or the birds)? The Ana's have been hanging around our feeder and it's time to add more. Hope they make it through the cold snap!!

Regards, Richard

Date: Wed, 10 Dec 2008 06:11:49 -0800
From: "W William Woods" <wwwbike at comcast.net>
Subject: [Tweeters] Anna'a Hummingbirds
To: "Tweeters" <tweeters at u.washington.edu>
Message-ID: <58ABFE475E1249308FA5CFFAAFC80879 at OEM0D6B617540F>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

Back in September 2007, our young Rufous Hummingbirds were sticking around later than ususal, and I left the feeders out for them. Suddenly in October I realized that the Hummers I was seeing were Anna's Hummingbird, larger and fatter. I did not see a male until spring 2008, and both sexes have been here ever since. For feeders, I use test tubes with one-hole rubber stoppers and pendant bent glass tubing rather than the commercial feeders. They are very easy to keep clean with a test tube brush and pipe cleaners. I keep the feeders full on three sides of our house, so not TOO much guarding and chasing take place. A dying rhododendron outside the kitchen window makes a perfect spot for them to land after dining on the sugar water right in front of the kitchen window; fun and games this time of year, and the male is a beauty. He is practically at my face as I hang up a fresh test tube feeder full of sugar water. I don't dare let any of them go dry, or I am sure he would tap on!
the window and give me what for! Such a pleasure to have these beauties around!

Erin Woods
Wood Tree Farm
Redmond, Washington