BRADLEY COOK/ FLASHBOX STUDIO
Hummingbirds make great company and are beautiful to watch. Most hummingbirds migrate once the cold weather arrives – but one species remains. “Anna’s Hummingbirds” live in western Oregon year-round.
Here are ways to identify Anna’s Hummingbirds and how to attract them into your yard:
-Although tiny among birds, Anna’s Hummingbirds are considered a medium-sized hummingbird. They have a straight, shortish bill and a fairly broad tail. When perched, the tail extends beyond the wingtips.
-The reddish-pink feathers add a burst of brightness during the winter months. Anna’s Hummingbirds are mostly green and gray, without any rufous or orange marks on the body. The male’s head and throat covered in iridescent reddish-pink feathers look dull brown or gray without direct sunlight.
-Males have a metallic, scratchy song, and can be spotted poking their heads out of trees and shrubs.
gAnna’s Hummingbirds are common in yards, parks, residential streets, eucalyptus groves, riverside woods, savannahs, and coastal scrub.
-To attract Anna’s Hummingbirds to your yard, plant brightly-colored flowers native to Oregon, such as the Red Flowering Currant or Honeysuckles.
Hummingbird feeder recipe
-Mix 1 cup of sugar with 4 cups of water, and wait for the sugar to dissolve Put the sugar water into the hummingbird feeder, hang it somewhere safely (so the hummingbirds are not confused by any nearby window glass) and enjoy.
Sources: portlandnursery.com; allaboutbirds.org
