I am overwhelmed by the generous and thoughtful responses to my inquiry
about feeding Anna's hummingbirds through the winter. Thank you, all of
you who wrote so kindly. You've set my mind at ease to know that the
Rufous will return as always and kick butt in their own inimitable
fashion to reclaim their turf.

My new routine will follow others' tried-and-true methods: bringing in
the feeder at night, putting it out in the morning, and keeping one
feeder thawed inside for quick transfers. I may try out hand-warmers too.

This morning I put out the feeder and the Anna's was on it within a few
seconds (I'm recalling Tweeter posts that sometimes the bird is there,
buzzing impatiently, when you bring out the feeder). I'm thinking he may
roost in our big pine tree. I have not seen a female for quite a while,
but maybe one will turn up when winter really sets in.

Warm wishes to all you good people,
Kristi
Anacortes
khc
at
picturesandwords.com