It is possible to see four hummingbird species in north-central Washington: Anna’s, Calliope, Black-chinned, and Rufous. Of the four species, only Anna’s is resident year-round in much of the North Central Washington Audubon Society (NCWAS) four-county area. The other three species are migratory and leave for Central and South America during the winter months. eBird has recently released a new way to visualize bird species’ abundance and range maps. The page that shows this information for the Anna’s Hummingbird can be found by clicking here. The other three species, as well as over one thousand other species, in our area have their own pages to show this information. The index page for species information is here.
Hummingbirds are remarkable. They are small, fast, and curious. They are also highly protective of “their” nectar sources. Anyone who feeds hummingbirds for enjoyment has likely witnessed a hummingbird vigorously chasing others away from “its” feeder or flower garden.
Much is known about hummingbirds but there is still much to learn. For example, one question that we asked for years is “Do Anna’s Hummingbirds nest successfully in north-central Washington?” The answer is “yes”. Successful nesting and rearing of young Anna’s were documented in Wenatchee in 2021. While we suspected that Anna’s were nesting and fledging young in our area (we’ve seen nests), the photos of young in 2021 are the first proof that Anna’s are successfully hatching young in north-central Washington.
But one year of observation does not prove that there is persistent nesting and rearing in our area. Please be alert to any hummingbird nesting in your local area and let us know. You can send an email to us.
Other nagging questions we have deal with the identification of which nectar sources are used by our hummingbirds. Are these sources native plants? Introduced plants? Feeders? When do hummingbirds use their preferred nectar sources?
NCWAS introduced a website page to provide a quick way to access current information about hummingbirds in our area. It contains current literature relevant to the frequently asked question “Does feeding hummingbirds during winter keep them from migrating?” One of the listed references comes from Project Feederwatch and provides a succinct summary to dispel the common myth that winter feeding keeps hummingbirds from migrating.
” Your nectar feeders will not stop the passage of birds that have decided to go south. What your feeders might do, however, is help more sedentary individuals survive and pass their genes on to similarly inclined offspring.”
Emma Greig, Anna’s Hummingbirds moving north, Project Feederwatch, 2016-2017, Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
To gain fundamental information about hummingbird presence and abundance in our area, NCWAS is launching a community-science project to formally document hummingbirds four times each year. Solstice and equinox dates were chosen to conduct protocol-guided surveys for one hour on each of the four dates. You can learn more about this project by clicking here. The background information in the article describes how you can participate in this valuable community-science project.
The hummingbird page also lists many other scientific articles and contemporary references. Check out the hummingbird page by clicking here.
We hope that making these resources available helps you become more informed about our hummingbirds and helps you enjoy them in your yard or out in nature.