I have been working in the backyard for the past hour or so and I just had a fast glimpse of a hummer flying fast & disappearing in the 2 large rhododendrons at the back of my yard. It seemed to be just a split second, but I felt I saw the unmistakable rufous coloring. The temp. is currently 55, so totally in the right range for the rufous to leave the water's edge (I'm a couple of miles from Puget Sound) and forage in the surrounding areas. Unfortunately, I have to leave for work shortly, so I can't hang around and keep an eye on the feeder. I strongly feel it was a rufous, but I can't guarantee it. I'm sure hoping it is.

Patrick
USDA Zone 8b
Heat Zone 3
Sunset Zone 5
SeaTac, WA...one cool place

Patrick I feel certain that you are right. I bet it is a rufous. Sure wish I was sitting at 55 degrees today instead of mid 20's...BRRRRRR!

Penny
Niagara Falls, NY
USDA zone 6a/6b
Heat zone 4
Sunset zone 39

Ditto Penny's thoughts!! Very deceiving. Sun's so bright but step out & Brrrrr!! We'll say you did see it. Anticipating my first but it's a long way off. Can't stop looking at the plant catalogs & my pix from last year.

Joni
Elwood, IL
Zone 5

Way to go Patrick, nothing here yet but they have been seen about sixty miles south of here.

Patrick, I had at least one male rufous at my feeders today just north of Vancouver, WA. I've been keeping an eye on the feeders since my Anna's disappeared a week ago, and I was surprised to see the rufous today. Last year the rufous didn't show up in my yard until March 24th, so they're a good 3 weeks earlier this year!

The Anna's have astounded me with their hardiness this winter. During the worst of our weather, right before Christmas, when our temp stayed below 25 degrees for most of a week, I was stuck out of town unable to get home because the airports were closed. I left my 19 year old daughter home alone. She did a great job of watering the plants in the nursery (trudging through 18 inches of unshoveled snow!) and watering the seedlings indoors (I own/operate Sweet Nectar Nursery) but the hummingbird feeders didn't get defrosted for a few days. Somehow my three Anna's survived and were waiting for me when I got home. But now they've stopped coming to the feeder, so I guess they're nesting/setting up territories??? There were 2 females and one male.

Susan in SW Washington

Hello Susan and welcome to our Hummingbird Forum. It is a pleasure to have someone here who is in the trade and who also focuses on nectar plants.

Penny
Niagara Falls, NY
USDA zone 6a/6b
Heat zone 4
Sunset zone 39

Patrick - That is great news - and sure sounds like you are right!

And I agree with Penny - Susan it is wonderful to have you join our forum - your nursery sounds heavenly! Welcome!

Carol
Milford, CT
Zone 6

Penny and Carol, thanks for the welcome!

Susan
SW Washington
zone 6b

It is great to see more nursery folk embrasing hummingbird plants, and that is a nice list. In the past few years we've seen some of our specialty plants join the regular offerings at nurseries. No more do they just show up by accident and they are now often marked as hummingbird plants. Which is not to say that some plants so marked don't leave me scratching my head - still, it is an improvement since most folks who discover hummers lurking in the gardens are quickly hooked. So welcome to the forum, it is great to see commercial growers join in.