This is not typical behavior for a Anna Hummingbird.
The female Anna Hummingbird is in the green frame to the left. The Male Anna Hummingbird is to the right.
The male photos were captured in the rain.
Getting Closer
I now have enticed three Hummingbirds to feed by hand.
Two females and one male.This is my first attempt to
get the first female comfortable with my hand. I hope
that she will sit on my finger to feed.
Female Anna Hummingbird Whisper Touch
I can now walk up to the Female and she will wait for me before she continues to eat. I am
trying to get her to eat out of the little red lid that I am holding. She looked into it
several times today but she made no attempt to eat from it. Her little wing movement feels
whisper soft and her tummy touches oh so gently. There is now three females and two males.
The dominant male is robust and checked me out several times by circling my head and looking
into my eyes by about four inches away. After wards he eats from my feeder for me. He is the
same Hummer that is in the rain photo above. He comes in like a little rocket and stops abruptly
but he seems to be ok with me. The other male tried to eat from me and the dominant male chased
him away. He appears in the peak of health and he is just awesome! The third female will watch me
but will not eat from me at all. The male and female who are the most comfortable with me are
beginning to do a little courtship.
Female Anna Comes Every Day
For about a week the dominant female comes to me each day. A few days ago I did not see her right
away and I walked into our middle yard under a tree. She apparently saw me and followed me making this
chattering noise. I had my little red cap with nectar in it and held it up to her. She flew around as if she
was searching flowers for nectar but it was right above me, in mid air with no flowers around. Whenever I
moved, she moved staying right above me. I walked back to my bird cottage where I typically feed her, and she
followed. I held out my hand as usual and she came right away. She ate her fill and then perched near by. I almost
felt as if she were content as I watched and listened to her little crooning sounds. It feels as if she is truly
starting to enjoy my company. She has been chasing away the other females when they come for a turn to be fed by me.
The male only comes every few days. I do feel her tummy when she feeds but she does not perch yet. The flutter of her
little wings feel whisper soft. She does look into my little cap on occasion but does not understand that there is nectar
in there. I let her decide what she is comfortable with and I take it slow. I treasure the special contact with these
tiny Hummingbirds. It is only within their comfort level that they have allowed it to happen. I am very pleased beyond
words and extremely greatful that they chose me.
Male Hummer Sings
The Male let me take some fun photos of him the other day and he just hung out near me singing little songs.
The Female Anna Hummingbird has been visiting shorter periods of time. She would eat and leave and not hang out
as she had been doing. She is always friendly when she does stop by unlike her shy female counter part. The other
Male has not been around at all. Then for the past two days I did not see the Female at all. I really missed her.
Hubby learned from our neighbors where a little Hummingbird nest was located. She built her nest in their wind chimes.
Nest in the Wind Chimes
Do you think this could be my little Anna's babies?
We might find out if Momma brings them with her to our Hummingbird feeder when they fledge.
Instead of the slight touches that have become normal for the Female, tonight her touches were constant from her wings.
I am certain that she trusts me, she even waits for me to come out of the bird cottage to feed with me. Does this mean
that we are close to having her actually sit on my hand? Often her tummy will touch my hand.
As it turns out, we did learn that these little nestlings did belong to our little Anna Female.
Nestlings content while Momma watches
The Anna and Rufous Hummingbird Arrives
The Anna Female has raised her young and she sent them off to be on their own. She has been in the area all year long and
with no more young to raise she has started to hang out near by and visit as she had before. The Rufous Hummingbirds have returned
from their migration. A Rufous Female was curious about me when I walked near the feeder. She appeared to want the nectar in the feeder
and was trying to figure out if I was safe or not. She started to head that way when she got about 12 inches away from me our little
Anna Female swooped down, almost out of no where and chased her away. A minute later the Anna Female came back and fed by me like
old times before she reared her young. Both Hummingbirds have come back many times over the weekend and each time the Anna Female
chases her competition away. The Anna Female continues to hang out in her bush, catches insects as they come by, and guards her "personal"
feeder. I have several feeders around the house so I set up a new feeder near by that is out of site of the bird cottage feeder. I hope it
will eliminate the conflict between these two little "Gems" and make them both happy.
