With iridescent emerald feathers and a sparkling pink crown and throat, the male Anna’s hummingbird simply is one of the most stunning birds around!
We recently t
ook part in an ongoing hummingbird monitoring program in partnership with the Hummingbird Monitoring Network here at SPES’ office at the Stanley Park Dining Pavilion. Hall traps were set up over hummingbird feeders to gently capture the birds. Two male Anna’s hummingbirds were caught (both had been banded before), measured and swiftly released again.
Our School Programs Manager, Anita Georgy, was thrilled to be chosen to release one of the birds. With an incredibly rapid heartbeat (over 1260 times per minute!), we bet it was a feeling that will not be forgotten any time soon.
Do Anna’s hummingbirds also visit your garden or patio? They have shown incredible adaptability to city-life and will often visit feeders and exotic flowers in urban and suburban gardens. It is the only hummingbird known to winter in this part of the province.