Anna’s Hummingbird Rings in the New Year on Thursday, January 06, 2011

See Steve Berliner's photos and read his account of his experience with a unique female Anna's Hummingbird as he tended his hummingbird feeder . . . .

by Steve Berliner

William L. Finley, famous bird photographer and Portland Audubon Society’s first President in 1906, wrote: “Each bird has a real individuality.  Each is different in character and disposition from all others.”  He came to know this unusual bit of bird psychology, having spent hour after hour with a particular wild bird or an entire bird family as he used every means at his disposal to gain their acceptance of him with his bulky camera and tripod, intruding into their lives.  Still I had my doubts.. how would I know I was witnessing unique individual behavior from a single bird?

That question was answered on Dec. 30, 2010, when I went outside to change the hummingbird food.  I’ve tried for the “stunt” pose of a hummingbird on my finger many times over the years, and not entirely without success.  On several occasions, and with great patience on my part (not to mention the bird’s), hunger would overcome fear, and my “guest” would alight on my finger or hover just above it to sip nectar.

But my latest backyard resident Anna’s Hummingbird would have none of this procrastination, this cat-and-mouse business.  I took the feeder off its hook to be taken indoors for the important wash, and refilling.  Before I could move it she was hovering near it, refusing to yield air space.  I took this as a challenge, and stuck my finger over the perch rail, putting the ball back in her court!  In a moment she was hovering closer, right over my finger taking some sips, and then even landing on “that spongy new perch” to drink.

When she returned to her territorial look-out shrubbery to guard this feeder from nearby opportunistic competitors, I took that as my cue to go refill it. After telling my wife of my “good fortune,” I prepared the feeder and this time took a camera back outside with me.  The little bird would never land on me once she’d had that precious initial drink, right?  Nevertheless I asked nicely for a repeat performance for my “Happy New Year” email card and for the scrapbook, and you know what?  With only a brief delay to chase off a would-be interloper hummingbird, she kindly gave me an encore landing, which is the one you see in this photo.  Finley knew what he was talking about all right!  This is one precocious little bird!