[obol] hummer question

[david tracy]

Male Anna's hummingbirds sing regularly this time of year.  In fact,  
they are apt to sing any time of year, but it seems to pick up in the  
fall/winter around here in Bend.   They start breeding in Jan/Feb in  
parts of their range where the climate is warmer, such as California  
and S.W. Oregon.

Anna's hummers are not migratory in the same way as most other  
hummingbirds you may encounter in Oregon.  They winter in Oregon  
regularly, especially west of the Cascades, but also in Bend and  
perhaps a few other interior locations.   They are quite cold hardy  
and will do fine during the winter in Columbia County if they have  
sufficient food.  They get most of their food from eating insects and  
arthropods during the winter, which are high in protein and fats, but  
will make use of feeders where available.

A feeder left out during the fall/winter will not keep hummingbirds  
of any species from migrating, it may even make the difference  
between survival and freezing to death.   A good way to keep the  
heater thawed is using a simple heat lamp available at almost any  
hardware store.  A 125W brooding lamp is more than sufficient if  
placed within a couple feet of the feeder, you don't need the big  
250W Infra-red bulbs, they are overkill.  I keep mine plugged into a  
outdoor timer that turns it on about an hour before they arrive in  
the morning.

A picture of the heat lamp/feeder set up we use is shown here:   
http://flickr.com/photos/72482309@N00/326920131/

Dave




david tracy
davect at bendnet.com



On Oct 3, 2007, at 1:15 PM, david tracy wrote:

> Subject: hummer question
> From: Bobbett Pierce <ensatina3 at hotmail.com>
> Date: Wed, 3 Oct 2007 15:18:33 -0400
> Yesterday I posted on obol an ANNA'S HUMMINGBIRD in my yard, rare  
> for Warren,
> especially in October. Today the little guy was still hanging  
> around, and
> singing! I heard him before I saw him -- continues to surprise.  
> Question for
> those who have experience with Anna's over the winter: is singing  
> typical now,
> or is this bird confused and/or lost? I want to hang my feeder back  
> up for him,
> but wonder if I should. Last winter people on obol talked about  
> putting heaters
> up so the sugar water doesn't freeze. I don't want to lure the bird  
> into
> staying if it really should be heading to warmer climes. First  
> frost and the
> fushia flowers will be gone. Lona Pierce, Columbia County
>
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