Hello again, Ed.


I think it is possible.



We observed adult male and female Anna's hummingbirds in stereotypical courtship displays the first week of the past December, including several bouts of 20-30 dives.


My wife pointed this out to me and I assumed it was two males interacting- as happens often in our feeder area between adult and first year males- until I saw them the same day at close range. I have looked for, but not yet found a nest in our yard.


>From Cornell Ornithology:


" At the northern edge of its range in Washington state and British Columbia, natural history of breeding in winter may conflict with climate.May breed later as a result: a nest contained eggs on 6 Jul on Vancouver I., British Columbia ( Campbell et al . 1990 ). Nesting reported mid-Jan to mid-Feb in Seattle and British Columbia in recent years; earliest nest dates include 19 Feb 1998 ( Scarfe & Finlay 2001), 12 Feb 1999 ( Scarfe & Finlay 2001), 12 Feb 2006 (Barnard and Campbell 2007), 19 Jan 2008 (Bull 2008). But in Seattle in late December (2005, 2009, 2010), males were observed holding small feeding territories and not breeding territories ( CJC ), suggesting that onset of breeding there is delayed by at least a month, as compared to California populations."




For a full account of Anna's behavior I would recommend Reading Cornell Ornithology Birds of North America Online-Behavior and Breeding sections.


I would like to hear the opinion of one of our local Anna's experts- David Hutchinson.


Dan Reiff , PhD
Mercer Island

----- Original Message -----
From: "Ed Swan" < edswan at centurytel .net>
To: tweeters at u. washington . edu
Sent: Friday, January 10, 2014 6:05:59 PM
Subject: [Tweeters] baby Anna's this early?




I have someone reporting baby Anna?s Hummingbirds at their feeder on the south end of Vashon . I know that Anna?s nest early, but I was thinking February, not early January. Is this report possible?



Ed



Ed Swan

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Birding Vashon Island and Beyond

206.463.7976

mailto : edswan at centurytel .net






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