Anna's Hummingbird image courtesy of-Lisa Swanson "The Hummingbird Whisperer"

___Once nesting only on the Pacific slope of northern Baja California and California north to the San Francisco Bay area, Anna's Hummingbird has expanded its range dramatically since the mid-1930s. It now breeds north to Vancouver Island, British Columbia, eastward to northern Arizona, and beyond. We have the Anna's year-round in Sedona, outside our Hummingbird Society office and have even had a nest here. This species' effective use of widely cultivated urban and suburban exotic plants, as well as the aid of feeders, have contributed to its increased numbers and expanded range.

• The Anna's hummingbird will stick around through winter (even in the snow)

• It's the only hummingbird that remains year-round in the Northwest

• Their size is 3.5 - 4 inches (measuring from tip of beak to tip of tail)

• Anna's typically nest from December to May

• The male Anna's hummingbird, in his love display, measured in body lengths, is faster than a jet plane!

• The Anna's male sings an elaborate vocalization when courting

• Anna's can find food in winter from tree sap, from the sapsucker's predrilled holes



• The male is the only hummingbird in the United States to have a red crown

A freeze-thaw-refreeze cycle created this hummingbird-shaped icicle in Michigan. Photographed in her own yard, Photo courtesy of Tamara Shriver, photographed in her own yard.

Look at this amazing natural phenomenon! Notice the icicles on the beak. This must be the photographer's spirit animal.

Nature is just amazing!

___Many hummingbird enthusiasts in British Columbia are finding innovative ways to keep their feeders warm and the sugar water flowing for the hardy Anna’s hummingbirds. Pictures show the use of pre-warmed socks, scarves, hand warmers, Christmas lights held in place with plastic wrap, and heating pads, all in an effort to keep the sugar water from freezing.

___Here in the U.S., in Seattle, Washington, a bizarre happening occurred as a result of their freezing rain. A member called to report a long icicle hanging from the hummingbird’s tail! He sent the image included here. We think that the hummingbird went into torpor at night, lowering his body temperature in a mini-hibernation to keep from freezing, and that the water dripped on him and froze. He was having trouble gaining altitude, flying low from the weight of it. This was a first that we know of. 

___The concerned hummer lover had an ingenious solution and put out a free-standing heater like they use in restaurants hoping the hummer would seek the warmth and the icicle would be melted. Grabbing the icicle (if he could have caught it) would surely have injured the hummer. He feels sure that it worked.

We want to offer a special solution to keep your sugar water from freezing – the hummers heated delight feeder.

___There is a great image of the hummer feeding from one in the Columbia River Gorge on the site. The tiny light bulb inserted in the base is enough to keep the solution from icing. It also glows at night. They have had a high demand, and may be temporarily out of stock, but we do have 8 of them at the society for sale from a prior anticipatory order, if you need one.

___The cover of our 2021 calendar depicting the hummingbird flying to the light, showcases the visionary photography of Christian Spencer.  Our gift to you is to invite you to watch his film, The Dance of Time, which he directed and produced, even creating the music.

___It begins with the Black Jacobin flying in the morning light with the glowing rainbow prisms of his wings and tail. His opening thought: “The Spirit takes flight on the wings of Light!” Christian then takes you through the Dance of the Sky, the Dance of Sound, the Dance of Water, the Dance of the Forest, the Dance of Color, and the Dance of Light.

___It even includes a shot of the Frilled coquette hummingbird and the frenetic mating dances of the Blue Manakins in their lek. This unique journey of beauty into the infinite cycles of nature was filmed over four years in the mountains of the Atlantic rainforests of Brazil. Wait ‘til you see the trapdoor spider! Enjoy!