Hummingbird sighted on SW-Side of Kachemak Bay

Observation by Jan Yaeger:

Very early for a hummingbird, especially in a non-urban area without feeders. Fifteen inches of snow fell in the area over the past few days. There are no blossoms yet, and very few insects to support a hummingbird's high metabolism. Species was not identified due to backlighting.

Courtney L. Amundson, Research Wildlife Biologist at USGS, writes:

"Anna's hummingbird (Calypte anna) occasionally winter along the coast in Southcentral and Southeast Alaska. Observations have been reported this winter (January 2018) in Homer on Ebird. In winter they rely on insects (crawling and flying) and hopefully this bird will be able to find enough food with all that snow! There was also a male observed in Seldovia in February at a nectar feeder. Check out Ebird for pics of that observation and records of birds seen in the area."

Comments from LEO Editors:

The most commonly found hummingbird found in Southcentral and Southeast Alaska is the rufous (Selasphorus rufus). These hummingbirds are identified by bright orange and red bellies on the males, and by the orange throats and bright green backs of the females. These hummingbirds generally winter as far south as Mexico, returning to southern parts of Alaska in the summer, making it the farthest-migrating hummingbird species in the U.S. Source: Alaska Department of Fish and Game - Alaska's Backyard Birds and Hummingbird World.

This observation has been shared with Courtney L. Amundson, Research Wildlife Biologist, USGS.

Resources:

Long-Distance Hummingbird Sheds Light on Migration Mighty Mite Sets Hummingbird Record – "Hummingbirds usually arrive in Prince William Sound in early May, but they came a little earlier this year, in the last week of April. “It’s a short season, just three months,” Kate McLaughlin said. “My last band date was July 28, but I caught a glimpse of one the first week of August.”...“When you think of how little time they spend here, to fly all the way up here to have babies and leave, the benefit to them must be tremendous,” she added." Article by Riley Woodford, Alaska Fish & Wildlife News. September 2010

Maintaining and Improving Habitat for Hummingbirds in Alaska – The U.S. Department of Agriculture publication on hummingbirds describes the species found in Alaska, along with information on plants and conservation areas that impact hummingbird populations.