Tag Archives: Anna’s Hummingbird

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Michelle Melio recently found this Anna's Hummingbird feeding on Hedge Nettle.

I asked Mary Sue Ittner to take a look at the photo of the native wildflower. She wrote, "It looks like Stachys chamissonis, Chamisso's Hedge Nettle, Coastal Hedge Nettle or Bog Hedge Nettle. I like the last common name as you usually see it growing in very wet spots and in this dry year that would explain why it is still in flower and looking so well when the rigid hedge nettle that is common here is dried up in a lot of places."

Anna's Hummingbirds are year-round residents of the Mendonoma Coast. Thanks to Michelle for allowing me to share her photo with you here.

It's warm, 80+ degrees, and unfortunately smoky. And there is no wind to whisk the smoke away, though perhaps by tomorrow the northwesterly winds will return.

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Mike Petrich was at Mill Bend recently. Mill Bend is the recently acquired land at the mouth of the Gualala river- thank you, Redwood Coast Land Conservancy! Mike found an Anna's Hummingbird perched on a branch after feeding on a red Bottlebrush plant.

After photographing the little hummer, Mike found a nest of America Robins close to the Gualala River. It looks like it's a very full house!

Mom or Dad must have been close as all those beaks are wide open..."feed me, feed me!" Looking closer at Mike's photo, I see one of the parents right behind the chicks!

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

This morning I drove to Point Arena to meet a friend for breakfast. It was drippy fog in PA. When I returned to Anchor Bay, the sun was out and it was 20 degrees warmer. ah, the micro climates of the Mendonoma Coast!

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Ed Cutler was in the right place at the right time...and he had his camera. He photographed a mama Anna's Hummingbird feeding her chick, which had fledged. The mother is on the left.

It's fun to be able to see this! Thanks to Ed for allowing me to share his photos with you here.

It's sunny and breezy on the Mendonoma Coast. For the first time, I could see the new life in the Osprey nest I watch with my spotting scope. Two scrawny heads were seen today.

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Michael Reinhart trained his camera on a beautiful male Anna's Hummingbird. As the sunlight shone on the little bird, the iridescent colors were revealed.

Mike also photographed a male Allen's Hummingbird, the feisty cousin of the Anna's.

Allen's Hummingbirds numbers are in decline, whereas the Anna's seem to be thriving.

Thanks to Mike for giving us these close-up views of these vibrant hummers.

A beautiful, sunny day on the Mendonoma coast today. Windy on the bluffs with lots of white caps on the ocean. Mary Heibel met me at the Point Arena Lighthouse gates and showed me a wildflower I hadn't seen before, Wallflowers. More on them in another post!

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Ron Bolander is staying home and photographing in his garden. We are the lucky recipients of Ron's work, as he got this great photo of a Rufous Hummingbird sipping nectar.

Rufous Hummingbirds fly thousands of miles, twice a year. We see them on the coast during their spring and autumn migration. They breed far to our north, and then overwinter in Mexico. These little birds needs a LOT of nectar to fuel their long trips.

Ron also photographed an Anna's Hummingbird.

These little hummers are year round residents of the Mendonoma Coast. Rather than put up feeders, which require good cleaning and filling of sugar-water, Rick and I have planted plants especially for hummingbirds. Here are suggestions from the CA Native Plant Society of the best native flowers to plant for them: https://www.cnps.org/gardening/hummingbird-gardening-5098

Thanks to Ron for allowing me to share his photos with you here.

Beautiful day here today after the fog pulled back. Low 60's. Brown Pelicans have been seen, flying north, and it's always a thrill to see them. The ocean is quite loud, the backdrop to our lives here on the beautiful Mendonoma Coast.