Oh, they're out there :-) Anna's are year round residents throughout the Puget Sound area (their winter range is actually all along the coastal areas from Mexico to as far north as southern Alaska, predominately west of the Cascades/Siskyous although as far east as Texas in the southern region). If you are in tune to the songs and chirps of these little guys, you'll hear them all over. I find them most welcome in winter and in addition to providing feeders, plant a lot of winter blooming attractors just to keep them happy and present in my garden. The Winter Garden at the Washington Park Arboretum is alive with them at this time of year - there are literally dozens.

And yes, whay you saw was most likely an Anna's - none of the other migratory species common to this area are inclined to winter this far north, although it is possible. One of the reasons Anna's tend to be present here in winter is that they rely on insects for a major portion of their diet, more so than any other species of hummingbird. This provides a needed source of protein year round as well as a slower metabolizing food source than just nectar alone. They also tend to have a larger body mass than other species, increasing their cold tolerance. They also undergo a physiological process known as torpor, where their metobolism slows to about 95% of normal - essentially they enter a controlled hypothermic state that allows them to withstand very cold overnight temperatures.

Here is a link that might be useful: Olympia hummers in the news :-)

We have been seeing hummers here too. I do think they are rufous though, the same ones we have all summer. We had hardy fuchsia's blooming up until the snow and they have come back looking for them.

Hi Gardengal, yes I saw that article in the Olympian already. Thank you though.

I am quite familiar with the calls of Anna's, and of rufous, and I travel throughout western Washington quite a bit. I am always startled when I hear an Anna's in winter, and have to remind myself, Yes but you're in Seattle right now! I do hear them all over in Seattle. Never in Olympia.

This one sounded like a rufous.

Although pretty unusual, I guess it's possible :-) A rufous was sighted in Edmonds during the 2004 Annual Christmas Bird Count, but I'm not aware of any winter sightings since. The Anna's range has expanded significantly in recent years - perhaps a bit of the same with the rufes, as well (although I can't imagine him being at all happy in 9F temps!).

And you're right - their calls are quite distinctive.

This is the first year that Anna's have overwintered on Denman Island, or at least the first year there are any reports of them on the island according to my neighbour who is an avid birder. I feel privileged to have a female visit the feeder throughout the day. It was quite something to see her fly between the forest edge and the feeder during times of heavy snowfall. Despite their size, they are tough birds. A male occasionally visits, but spends most of his time at my neighbour's place down the street. I wonder who will win the battle over the feeders when the Rufous arrive in early March.

here's some pics of a hummer that was visiting my feeder on Christmas day. This is my first year at this home in Nanoose Bay on Vancouver Island. I had regular hummers all winter at my previous home in Nanaimo. I love having these little visitors and was so pleased to get these pics.
{{gwi:1067540}}
{{gwi:1067541}}
{{gwi:1067542}}

I would be pleased too - those are wonderful pics. I can never get close enough to get really good ones here. That's the first green hummer feeder I've seen. I love the design because it's so much easier to clean than the traditional feeders. I actually bought mine at the Backyard Wildbird and Nature store in Nanaimo.

When I had Grevillea 'Poorinda Constance' in my garden in Olympia, hummers swarmed it anytime it was in bloom (which was most of the year, including through the winter)... and pretty much all the time when it wasn't dark. About a year ago I cut it back hard hoping it would grow back. It tried to grow back for a while but eventually it died. Hummers aren't as common there now; they do still hang around G. victoriae and the other Grevilleas a bit, but not nearly as much as they did 'Poorinda Constance'.

I think these little guys have it all figured out. They are expanding their range because they are training people to feed them all winter! We have friends who won't go on winter holidays now because they are busy keeping their feeders from freezing...So who could resist helping these little beauties in such cold weather? btw, I understand they nest in February so don't let up. Birdbrain? I don't think so!

You know, I could've been mistaken. I guess it could be a female Anna's that I've been seeing. To me they look pretty similar, I never get to see them really close.
klinger - great pics

We have a rufous hummingbird feeding in our garden on the Saanich Peninsula. Its the first time she's stayed around all winter. For the weeks when all the winter blooming heathers were covered with snow, she fed constantly from the feeders. Now that the snow is gone, she seems to be using the feeders less often. It took some juggling to keep the feeders from freezing during the cold spell and often we would wonder if we would see her the next morning. Its quite a miracle that she managed to survive those long weeks of cold and snow!

Supposedly some young Rufous get lured into sticking around for the winter by feeders.

When we had really cold weather last month my neighbor set up spot lights on his hummingbird feeders to keep them from freezing. He has more than one because they aren't inclined to share. It seems to have worked since there are still several using them.

I've also used spot lights to keep them from freezing, it worked well. I only have one feeder out, but have an extra one in the house, makes it a lot easier to just swap out . I've heard christmas lights work too.I also think it's a miracle to have these tiny little birds in this type of weather we've had.

In a suitable climate and site Grevillea victoriae will give them flowers to probe all winter. Others say Mahonia x media is also a big draw but I almost never see them on the ones here, whereas they fight over the grevilleas.

That said I am not seeing much activity lately, even though the shrubs kept flowers through the cold.

I've heard and seen hummingbirds many times this year (January 2009) on the UW campus in NE Seattle. Not sure what kind, small and dark-colored though. I think people think I am nuts because I usually stop and look up into the trees to see if I can spot them. I can't imagine what they are eating, unless they simply survive on feeder juice all winter? I never see them flying around though, its always one by itself perched on a branch, singing/buzzing. They always sound to me like glass marbles/shot glasses rubbing together.

My Grevilleas that usually start blooming about now are behind schedule this year.

If you watch them long enough, resident hummers here will feed on just about anything they can find in bloom in winter. In my garden, I've seen them on mahonias, witch hazels, Camellia sasanqua, Viburnum tinus and Clematis cirrhosa. They also frequent rather low growing plants like sarcococca, hellebores and winter heaths. In years when winter hasn't been quite so harsh for us, they would frequent late blooming hebes and hardy fuchsias, which were often in bloom until Christmas, sometimes later. I just started a couple of grevilleas to add to the menu. In the Arboretum Winter Garden, in addition to the above they visit the winter blooming honeysuckles, Jasminum nudiflorum and strawberry tree. And they eat a lot of insects!

Rufous Hummers are very, very rare in Winter in Washington. They winter in western Mexico, whereas Anna's hummers are common all over Puget Sound, year-round - usually within 5 miles of the sound though. They have been increasing slowly in numbers and the last few years have seen some high numbers on Christmas Bird Counts. The numbers could fall some though given the hard winter we've had so far.
By the way, Rufous Hummers don't sing (Anna's do) they only make some ticking sounds. Their wings and tails do make some buzzing/trilling sounds though.
ID of these little guys is tricky, but the easiest thing for me to go on is that Rufous Hummers always have a little rusty/buffy color on the sides of the belly whereas Annas are grayish or greenish. That's easier to see than throat color or tail color and other marks.

Just got back from a week in SoCal. The aloe collection at the Huntington Garden near Pasadena was buzzing with overwintering Rufous hummers, along with resident Anna's. I have also seen rufous at backyard hummer feeders in the Glendale (SoCal) area in December. Not all that difficult to distinguish rufous from Anna's, as the rufous always have quite a bit of red on them - backs, sides, tail, and throat on males, sides, tail and a small throat patch on the females. Anna's females are plain green with only a small throat patch of red, and males have bright red head and throat but that's it. Anna's undersides are gray where the rufous are white. The rufous also often look like they have a white collar on.

No hummingbird 'sings', if you want to get technical about it. They are not in the Songbird group. But the species can easily be distinguished by the sounds they make, whether vocalizations or wing and tail buzzings. The rufous most definitely make vocalizations, which are not at all like those of the Anna's.

The westside Oly Wild Birds Unlimited just sent out their email newsletter, where they report a sharp increase in the number of people reporting sightings of Anna's hummers overwintering in Olympia. So, they're expanding their range!

I was at the Huntington on New Year's Eve a couple of years ago and the hummingbird traffic in the Succulent Garden at that time was incredible! There were dozens of them buzzing around like mad, totally unconcerned about the human visitors invading their feeding territory - several paused inches away, checking us out. The air was alive with the various chirps, clicks and trills and they all seemed to be getting along pretty well together, although there were a few blitz attacks by a couple of the more aggressive males.

In this recent stretch of decent, nearly balmy at times weather, my Anna's have been very active and very vocal. They seem to enjoy the sunshine as much as I do!

reg_pnw7 I think it is more likely that the overwintering Rufous Hummers you saw in CA were actually the resident Allen's Hummingbirds. The vast majority of Rufous Hummingbirds winter in west Central Mexico. It can be very difficult, if not impossible, to distinguish Rufous and Allen's Hummers unless you see an adult male Rufous. There are a few Rufous Hummers seen in the east and southeast states each winter so it is not impossible there are a few in CA as well, but it would be pretty unusual.

Anna's hummingbird has a longer body than rufous. Today some males were on the grevilleas again. There was enough sun to light up their throat and face patches. One sat to the side of an inflorescence that was partly obstructed and stuck its tongue out like a flicker.

On Camano only a few have been seen, mostly last year and the grevilleas got frosted during that last cold spell - the inflorescences look to be mostly destroyed.