# Winter Hummingbirds Photo



## Jackie from Concrete WA (Mar 23, 2015)

We have hummingbirds all winter. We get the Anna hummingbirds. Right now we are really cold. It's only about 20 degrees and the hummingbird feeder keeps freezing up. I'm having to rotate and bring one in to thaw. I tried to get a photo. I managed to get a pretty good one but they are so fast I had to stand out there awhile!


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## Ditto's Mom (Apr 29, 2007)

Love Hummingbirds and your photo!


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## Molly120213 (Jan 22, 2014)

That is amazing!


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## mudpuppymama (Mar 24, 2012)

I have never seen a hummingbird here in Missouri in winter! Lots in summer. Wondering if some kinds like winter and some don’t.


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## mudpuppymama (Mar 24, 2012)

I assume that these are the hummingbirds Jackie has…









How to Identify Anna's Hummingbirds


The Anna's hummingbird is more cold-hardy than most hummingbirds. It can be found all year along the Pacific Coast, as far north as British Columbia.




www.birdsandblooms.com





Sounds like all other varieties go south for the winter.


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## 31818 (Oct 29, 2014)

mudpuppymama said:


> I assume that these are the hummingbirds Jackie has…
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Yes, I live in inland Southern California and the temperatures can get into the low 30's at night sometimes (like last night)! We have this species and at least one other Hummingbird species visit us during the day this time of year. We still have LOTS of winter hardy annual plants still blooming this time of year so we don't have to put out a bird feeder to help the local bird species get through the winter. Thanks MPM for identifying that particular Hummingbird species for me.


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## mudpuppymama (Mar 24, 2012)

Last winter was the coldest in history here. This year is starting out as the warmest winter I can remember. That is Missouri weather. They say if you do not like the weather here, just wait a couple days and it will be totally different. One extreme to the other…never the same.


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## 31818 (Oct 29, 2014)

Last October was the driest October recorded in the last CENTURY here locally. During the last 5 days, we have received in excess of an average years worth of rain locally. Fortunately no significant flooding. The snow pack in the Sierras is 125% of normal for this time of year. This is very good news...as long as I don't have to live in it. It is supposed to snow in the mountains today a 40 minute drive up the hill from us (we live at 2500 ft. elevation). Although Ricky and I are curious, I think I will pass driving up there. I am just not experienced in driving in icy conditions and I don't have snow tires on my car. We will just enjoy the snowy view from our cold backyard!


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## Jackie from Concrete WA (Mar 23, 2015)

Yes, they are all Anna's, both males and females. They winter over in the Pacific NW. I'm somewhat surprised that they are in our area as I used to think they were just in the areas closer to Puget Sound where it tends to be warmer. We started leaving a feeder out all winter a few years ago when the gal that cuts my hair said she had Annas year round. Last year we had maybe 3 or 4 that showed up on a regular basis. This year I've counted 12 at a time and I know there are more than that but the darn things won't sit still all together long enough for me to get an accurate count!

In the summer we get the Rufous hummers and a few Annas but the Rufous are so aggressive that they hog the feeders so we don't see so much of the Annas. Those are the only two I've seen on the west side of our mountains. There are a couple other varieties in the eastern part of our state. In addition to what we get on the western side I've seen the Calliope and Black-chinned on the east side. There maybe others, but if so, I haven't seen them.


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## ShamaMama (Jul 27, 2015)

Jackie from Concrete WA said:


> We have hummingbirds all winter. We get the Anna hummingbirds. Right now we are really cold. It's only about 20 degrees and the hummingbird feeder keeps freezing up. I'm having to rotate and bring one in to thaw. I tried to get a photo. I managed to get a pretty good one but they are so fast I had to stand out there awhile!


Wow! I have never seen more than one hummingbird at a time, and I've certainly never seen them in the winter! 

We attended the Henderson Hummingbird Hurrah for the first time this year. The hummingbird bander didn't come due to COVID, but now that we know about this event, we'll go every year.

One of the vendors was selling little knit hats for dogs, so about four months later (on 12/11/21), I took this photo of Shama in her new hat ...










💚💛🧡💜💙


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## Jackie from Concrete WA (Mar 23, 2015)

Oh that hat is just toooooo cute! Now I want one for Willow!


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## Janet (Feb 19, 2007)

Bless you for helping out those poor little guys in the cold! Hummingbird metabolisms are so fast they can easily perish from cold and lack of food.


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## ShamaMama (Jul 27, 2015)

Jackie from Concrete WA said:


> Oh that hat is just toooooo cute! Now I want one for Willow!


If they have them next year, I'll get a bunch if possible. As I recall, there was only one this year. Maybe not her regular thing ...
💚💛🧡💜💙


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## Jackie from Concrete WA (Mar 23, 2015)

Janet said:


> Bless you for helping out those poor little guys in the cold! Hummingbird metabolisms are so fast they can easily perish from cold and lack of food.


I know! I don't know what they would eat with everything covered in snow. They are native to our area so they must be able to find a way to survive on their own. I just worry about them though. I bring the feeders in at night so they don't freeze and try to get them out just at dawn. They are usually already buzzing the area looking for the feeders. I feel like I'm in the middle of a swarm of bees when I hang them up!


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## ShamaMama (Jul 27, 2015)

I'm working on my 2022 Shama wall calendar (50% off if I get it done today), and I came across these two photos of a hummingbird in my flowers this past August.


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## ShamaMama (Jul 27, 2015)

And I also found a photo of the hat all by itself (along with the two bits of yarn that Shama pulled out the moment I tossed it for her to play with) ...










💚💛🧡💜💙


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## Janet (Feb 19, 2007)

ShamaMama said:


> I'm working on my 2022 Shama wall calendar (50% off if I get it done today), and I came across these two photos of a hummingbird in my flowers this past August.
> 
> View attachment 176596
> 
> ...


Is that a Hummingbird Hawk-Moth?


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

ShamaMama said:


> I'm working on my 2022 Shama wall calendar (50% off if I get it done today), and I came across these two photos of a hummingbird in my flowers this past Augu
> 
> 
> Janet said:
> ...


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## ShamaMama (Jul 27, 2015)

What? It's a BUG? We thought it was awfully small for a hummingbird ... 

But, according to my quick Google search, the hawk-moth isn't found in North America. 

I've sent the photos to the Minnesota extension service to ask them what it is ... 😂


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## EvaE1izabeth (Nov 14, 2017)

During the summer one day I came home and there was some kind of giant moth-bird-insect monstrosity on my door. It scared me so badly I used a different door and now I automatically scan the door before I reach to open it. DH didn’t see it but thought it was a sphinx moth, which are supposedly common here in the desert, but in 20 years I have never seen anything like it. It didn’t look like any of the pictures we looked up. To me your photo looks a lot like what I saw, but in your photo it seems more vibrant and sort of pretty so maybe not. I never did figure out what it was, but to me it’s body looked like an “animal” with wings, not really an insect, but it seemed too small to be a bird.


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## Jackie from Concrete WA (Mar 23, 2015)

ShamaMama said:


> What? It's a BUG? We thought it was awfully small for a hummingbird ...
> 
> But, according to my quick Google search, the hawk-moth isn't found in North America.
> 
> I've sent the photos to the Minnesota extension service to ask them what it is ... 😂


LOL! Hummingbirds don't have antennae! I think the photos are of a Hummingbird Clearwing which is a moth. Really cool photos! Wish we had that bug here.


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## ShamaMama (Jul 27, 2015)

Jackie from Concrete WA said:


> LOL! Hummingbirds don't have antennae! I think the photos are of a Hummingbird Clearwing which is a moth. Really cool photos! Wish we had that bug here.


Tee hee! I confess that I never really cared for science class and therefore didn't pay good attention. I guess if I'd paid better attention, I would have noticed the antennae and made a conclusion about what I was seeing. My students always laugh whenever I try to draw any sort of animal because they all look the same ...

I wonder why we were able to view that moth at 4 PM at the end of August (when sunset was at 8 PM that day)?

I'm listening to an audiobook right now that has quoted Thoreau at least three times: "It's not what you look at; it's what you see." I would kind of like to stick with my original story of the hummingbird I saw ... And EvaE1izabeth saw a monster! 😂 

💚💛🧡💜💙


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

ShamaMama said:


> What? It's a BUG? We thought it was awfully small for a hummingbird ...
> 
> But, according to my quick Google search, the hawk-moth isn't found in North America.
> 
> I've sent the photos to the Minnesota extension service to ask them what it is ... 😂


They most certainly are! We have them inour garden every summer!  And they aren’t VERY different in size from a humming bird. A LITTLE smaller, but not a lot. I love them!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

ShamaMama said:


> Tee hee! I confess that I never really cared for science class and therefore didn't pay good attention. I guess if I'd paid better attention, I would have noticed the antennae and made a conclusion about what I was seeing. My students always laugh whenever I try to draw any sort of animal because they all look the same ...
> 
> I wonder why we were able to view that moth at 4 PM at the end of August (when sunset was at 8 PM that day)?
> 
> ...


Because they are diurnal moths.


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## ShamaMama (Jul 27, 2015)

diurnal = of or during the day (just Googled it - tee hee!)


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## Sdeek (Nov 27, 2021)

ShamaMama said:


> Wow! I have never seen more than one hummingbird at a time, and I've certainly never seen them in the winter!
> 
> We attended the Henderson Hummingbird Hurrah for the first time this year. The hummingbird bander didn't come due to COVID, but now that we know about this event, we'll go every year.
> 
> ...


Very cute!


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## 31818 (Oct 29, 2014)

Janet said:


> Is that a Hummingbird Hawk-Moth?


It is not a Hummingbird bird.


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