Tag Archives: Anna’s Hummingbird

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Anna's Hummingbirds are very beautiful when the light hits their feathers. It was a foggy day when Michael Reinhart took this photo, but there was enough light to "light up" this hummer.

Anna's Hummingbirds are year round residents of the Mendonoma coast. I was recently asked about whether hummingbird feeders should be taken in for the winter. In many places you need to take them in, as the hummingbirds need to migrate. Here, as long as you keep them clean, you can leave them up for our local hummers. There are native plants like manzanitas that bloom in the winter to help feed them.

Thanks to Mike for allowing me to share his photo with you here.

Today is a transition day. Warm this morning, cooling off this afternoon, rain predicted for tomorrow and much cooler!

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Paul Brewer found this Anna's Hummingbird feeding on the Crocosmia plants in his Gualala garden.

What a wonderful, colorful photo with our year round Anna's hummer finding nectar in this plant which is also called Coppertips.

Thanks to Paul for allowing me to share his photo with you here. To see much more of his nature photography, here is the link to his website: https://paulbrewer.smugmug.com/

Foggy this morning but it quickly pulled back. Temps were in the low 70's this afternoon, and the breeze picked up.

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Jackie Sones found an Anna's Hummingbird nest with at least one hungry chick. You can see the mother bird and the open beak of the chick.

The nest is about the size of a walnut. She has woven in lichen and moss, building her nest on the branch of a tree. If you are pruning tree branches, you need to be extra vigilant that you do not harm one of these nests.

Anna's Hummingbirds can have more than one clutch. They often have two clutches and sometimes even three!

Thanks to Jackie for allowing me to share her photo with you here. Jackie has a wonderful blog called The Natural History of Bodega Head. You can check it out at this link: https://bodegahead.blogspot.com/

The weather is cool and breezy, with a big  dose of some afternoon sun. A big storm to our north has brought clouds but no rain. The previous storm brought 0.33 inches of rain, and the season to date total is 59.14.

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Michael Reinhart caught this Allen's hummingbird taking a short rest.

Fun Facts: Allen's Hummingbirds live an average of 5 years. They only weigh about 0.11 ounces. Hummingbirds are the only birds known to fly backward.

Thanks to Mike for allowing me to share his photo with you here.

Sunny this morning but the fog rolled in this afternoon. It feels like autumn today, temps in the low 60's.

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Karen Wilkinson wrote, “Have you ever really seen a flower?  Walking the Gualala River to find wildflowers in bloom is a beloved pastime.  Sharing it with botanical buddies is even better.  The closer you look at a flower, the more exquisite they become. Take this Scarlet Monkeyflower, if you touch the stigma with the tip of your finger, it closes up.  I think this is connected to the way it gets pollinated, but I'm not sure why.  What I am sure about is that this flower is my new favorite.” Karen got a nice photo of an Anna’s Hummingbird coming in for nectar and another showing the stigma and anthers touching the hummer’s head.

I asked Botanist  Peter Baye why the stigma, the part of the flower that receives pollen during pollination, would close. He wrote, “Had to look this one up! Fortunately there was some new research just published this year on it by Lila Fishman and colleagues at the University of Montana. Closure of the stigma lobes in monkeyflowers are interpreted as a means of maximizing cross-pollination over less advantageous self-pollination.”

Peter also wrote, after looking at Karen’s beautiful photos, “It is wonderful to see photos of observant naturalists rediscovering the Gualala River bed, and not just a stone's throw from Highway 1! It needs to be rediscovered constantly, as its never the same two consecutive years! I know people love the Russian River, but frankly, the native biological richness of the Gualala has more to offer explorers.”

Very interesting to learn about this! Thanks to Karen for allowing me to share her photos with you here.

While it is hot, hot, hot inland, a fog bank is keeping things cool along the Mendonoma Coast. Temps have been in the mid sixties. Nice!