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Winter finally arrived in Leeds,
Utah this past week, bringing plenty of cold wind and rain. The 3 Anna's
Hummingbirds went into survival mode by feeding heavily in the morning and
evening, eliminating any unnecessary "zooming around". The female
assumed primary ownership of the sugar water feeder and did her best to keep the
males in the air. This remained true until yesterday evening
when all 3 birds drew a truce and were seen perched together on the feeder, each
drinking deeply for several minutes.
This morning, Sunday, arrived
bright and crisp with the ground covered with a nice coating of
crunchy snow. Then something amazing! The female was seen hovering
in the open with one of the males scribing shallow arcs back and forth overhead,
both birds looking continually at each other. This "shuttle display" is
described in the Peterson Field Guide "Hummingbirds of North America" by Sheri
L. Williamson. Anna's are known to nest during late winter/early
spring. Was this behavior a prelude to mating?
Charlie Sheard
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