Probably not an Anna's Hummer !! ??

[willie]

Well,

    After fighting the Captcha's, unsuccessfully, in July, I'm finally here and able to post my experience.

    I live in Sebring with a planter across the Bay Windows in the front, north side of the house. In the planter, are yellow Shrimp plants  that have been there for many years with an occasional Hummer visit.

    This year is different. I've enjoyed what I believe is a couple of Anna's Hummingbirds. A larger one (presumably male) and a smaller one (female). At first I hoped the smaller one was a young one, but it refuses to grow larger,..... so female.

    What I believe makes them unique, is that they have been here since late May. I thought Hummers always went North in the summer. 

    Finally, this month, I put up a feeder to maybe capture an image of them. But no such luck. They are very hard to catch. First, they don't land to stay in one place long enough. Second, they seem to be very skittish. As I try to get closer to the window, or there is movement within 50 feet outside, they are gone.

    That's my announcement. Summer long, Yellow Shrimp plants, skittish, Anna's HBs, Sebring.

I hope sharing this is insightful.

[Joe M]

Willie,
It's very likely that you are observing Ruby-throated Hummingbirds rather than Anna's.
Rarely seen east of the Rockies and only a couple of confirmed sightings in the Panhandle during the winter months.
99.999% of the hummers likely to be seen in FL during the summer are Ruby-throated Hummingbirds.
Joe M.

[willie]

Joe:
There is NO color in these guys. A moderate/dark, or dull white throat. Mainly a couple shades of gray on the rest of the body. They look very much like an Anna's Hummingbird as seen somewhere on this site. There is a bit of what I call iridescence on the (assumed) males back with white tips on the tail feathers.

Now you've gone and done it. You made me delve farther. In looking further at Ruby-Throated pictures, I can find a few that resemble my hummers. I'm thinking I stand corrected. I never would have imagined a colorless Ruby-Throat. When I lived in Michigan, all I ever saw were the full color hummers.

So as not to throw off others, can we change the title of this thread?