Anna's Hummingbirds Wintering in Idaho?!

Got an email from fellow Idaho birder Steve Kellaway this morning wondering about a late hummingbird sighting in his backyard, visiting his frozen solid feeder. He snapped a couple of photos and emailed them to me and it looked pretty good for an Anna's Hummingbird.

Now I've seen plenty of Anna's in Arizona, but never having seen one in Idaho, or outside of Arizona for that matter, I had to chase this one. Steve welcomed me into his beautiful home and within minutes we were getting some quick visits to the feeders he had put out with fresh nectar. But it was too fast for me to snap some photos.

While we waited for the hummer to return I noticed Steve's home was full of beautiful artwork which I asked about. He's a fine art painter. Check out his website! Why is it that so many artists are also into birds? I think it's because they know and appreciate that which is beautiful.

Finally, the tiny hummer stopped for a good long drink and I was able to digiscope several images with the Swarovski ATX 85mm spotting scope I have on loan.

Diagnostic field marks of winter Anna's: Long sloping forehead. White over the eye. Short straight bill. Grayish belly with green spotted flanks. Wingtips and tail end at the same point. Throat patch, or heavy spotting. (I actually caught one glimpse of pink on the throat while viewing this bird through the scope.)

Any hummingbird sighting this late is an exciting event. As it turns out, if you see one in the northwest this time of year, it's most likely an Anna's Hummingbird. They have been making late fall and winter appearances in Idaho with such frequency that the IBRC is now only interested in spring/summer sightings. Seems paradoxical that summer sightings of a hummingbird are more rare than winter sightings, doesn't it?

One of my favorite Idaho Birders, Cheryl Huizinga, has played winter host to Anna's Hummingbirds the last couple of years in Caldwell, Idaho. This year, one showed up in September.

Anna's Hummingbirds are traditionally birds of the Southwestern United States and Pacific Coast, but a few vagrants have been found randomly across the U.S. and Canada. The map above shows that a few Anna's Hummingbirds stray into Idaho each winter. See AllAboutBirds.com for more cool facts about Anna's Hummingbirds.