Anna's Hummingbird

Anna's Hummingbirds are resident here year-round though we don't see them much during the colder months. Pictured above is a mature female. Another hummingbird we see is the Rufous Hummingbird but I have yet to see any this year. They migrate to Mexico in the fall and may not have returned here yet.

Birds

Spring is not only a time for a cascade of wildflowers but is also a very exciting time for watching birds. This is a time when there is a lot of movement from migrating birds heading north. And resident birds are becoming more active and visible as they don mating colors and engage in flirting behaviours. The two birds pictured to day are year round residents here but for some reason I don't see so much of them in the winter (probably because I spend too much time indoors when it's cold outside). Above is a Downy Woodpecker and to the left is an Anna's Hummingbird. Both were photographed a few days ago near Esquimalt Lagoon.

Hummingbird Delight

As I spend more time in the back yard this year I am starting to notice who likes what. The honeybees, for example, definitely prefer Oregano flowers. The Hummingbirds, on the other hand prefer the Fuchsia flowers. I say hummingbirds (plural) advisedly because while watching the Fuchsia yesterday morning, I noticed that there are two distinct kinds of hummingbirds visiting these flowers. Above is an Anna's Hummingbird (Calypte anna), probably a female. The other nectar eater dropping by occasionally is a Rufous Hummingbird and we will have a look at him tomorrow.

Backyard Birding

Recently we installed a hummingbird feeder on a plum tree in the back yard. While it took the hummers a week or so to locate it, now they have taken possession and visit it regularly. So far I have only seen Anna's Hummingbird (Calypte anna), appearing in the photo above. Birding out in the forest makes a great day's excursion but birding in the back yard has its pleasures too - I can relax in a lawn chair with a cup of coffee and some cookies while waiting for the birds to come calling.

Summer Hummer

While on my morning walk along the West Bay Walkway the other day I noticed this little bird taking a break. Usually I don't see much more of these hummingbirds than the buzz as they zoom past. I believe this is a female Anna's Hummingbird (or a juvenile of either gender) since whenever I see adult males in this area they are members of that species.

Signs of Spring III

I saw one of these little hummingbirds a few weeks ago but too briefly to catch a photo. This one, however, settled in on this twig to preen his feathers long enough for me to snap this quick photo. That bright red crown indicates this is an Anna's Hummingbird (Calypte anna), a year round resident of this area.

Anna's Hummingbird (Calypte anna)

Here's a bird I have seen and photographed many times without much success. Hummingbirds are a challenge to every photographer because they are so small, so agile and fast, and so beautifully colored. They are very charming birds and some fantastic photos have been taken of them. This is a male Anna's Hummingbird, the only hummingbird that overwinters around here. One of the problems I have when photographing this bird is that its brilliantly magenta colored head is so bright that it always overexposes when it catches the light. Here the bird is at enough of an angle so that only a bit of that brilliance shows. I posted a photo of some hummingbird chicks last year that were likely the progeny of this bird since he was guarding a territory within a stone's throw of their nest in Saxe Point Park.

Hummingbird Chicks

Still at Saxe Point Park where I'd gone to photograph the Bald Eagles, I came across this charming pair sitting perfectly still in their little nest. Their mother had buzzed me earlier but I couldn't see her well enough to identify her and she was much too busy for me to ever get her in focus. However, I'm guessing that these chicks are Anna's Hummingbird (Calypte anna), since they are the only hummingbirds that are likely to be here at this time of year. Hummingbirds are extraordinary little creatures and I recommend the Wikipedia article on them if you want to find out more. Here's a few facts: They must consume their body weight every day. Otherwise they die or go into a kind of hibernation called "torpor." They reject any flowers that have less than 10% sugar in their nectar seeing as lower percentages are not capable of supporting the rapid metabolism of these tiny birds. Their hearts may beat as much as 1260 beats per minute. Part of their mating display consists of dives from about 98 feet (30 meters) to reach speeds over 50 miles per hour (80 kph). They are the only birds that can fly backwards. Those spiderwebs you can see on the nest in the photo have been collected by the mother bird and are used to construct the nest. Because the spider silk is elastic, the nest can stretch as the chicks get larger. There's more, so go read the article.