Anna's hummingbird made a rare visit to a backyard near Farmington

Q: What was with the very rare hummingbird that was hanging out at bird feeders near Farmington in November?

A: The bird-watching community was very excited about a hummingbird that dropped into the metro area in late October. And you're right, it is unusual for an Anna's hummingbird, a common resident along the Pacific Coast, to visit Minnesota. The young male, hatched this year, showed up at a residence near Farmington where homeowner Elizabeth Tiller noticed the tiny bird at a nectar feeder at dawn on Oct. 30. She started taking in her feeders and putting them back just before sunrise, and the tiny bird continued to visit into the middle of November. She alerted the birding community to the unusual visitor, and ended up hosting more than 300 humans eager to see it.

How rare is it for an Anna's to be in Minnesota? The Minnesota Ornithologists' Union lists four other sightings of this species (1991, 1993, 2001, 2006). The Anna's is not a migratory species, like our ruby-throated hummingbird, but is known to explore in the fall, and a few turn up in the eastern U.S. each year, after our ruby-throats are long gone.

They're fairly hardy and the little bird visiting Tiller's feeders seemed in good health in mid-November. It had the good fortune to land in the backyard of someone who has a doctorate in ornithology: Tiller knew what she was seeing and how to provide for the bird. She was very generous in inviting bird watchers on to her property to view the Anna's, even providing chairs and a guest registry. "The bird brought a lot of joy to a lot of people at a time when many need cheering up," she noted.

Retired biologist Carrol Henderson said that Western hummingbirds show up every few years in the fall in the Midwest. The birds may be prospecting for new territories, but for most, he notes, it's a one-way trip.

Name changes coming

Q: I've heard that many bird names are going to be changed. Won't this be confusing?

A. You heard right, the organization that gives birds their names, the American Ornithological Society, recently announced that they're going to change the names of birds named after people. Examples: Swainson's hawk, Bullock's oriole and Wilson's warbler. They're going to start out with about 80 bird species and eventually will expand the effort to all 152 North American birds with people's names. Many of those birds were named for white naturalists back in the 1800s and 1900s, without regard to names already in use by Native Americans, and those names don't suggest anything about a bird's attributes or where it lives. The name "Wilson's warbler" tells nothing about a perky yellow bird with a small black cap. Its new name will probably be more descriptive of the bird or its preferred habitat. Once the new names are in place, bird identification should make more sense to beginning birders. Find out more on the Audubon and AOS websites.

Effects of warmer winter?

Q: It looks like the coming winter will be warmer and less snowy than usual. Will this be good for birds?

A: The colder it gets, the more birds have to eat to maintain their speedy metabolisms. If it's not so cold outside, birds won't have to consume as many calories each day, and this may mean that more of them survive the cold nights to forage another day. Snow is a good insulator and some birds even burrow into it to keep warm (chickadees have been observed doing this, and ptarmigan). But snow covers up seeds and arthropods that have fallen to the ground, making life harder for juncos and other ground-feeding sparrows.

Who eats boxelder bugs?

Q: We are lucky to have several varieties of woodpeckers visiting our bird feeders daily. These birds are known to eat insects, but show no interest in the boxelder bugs crawling up our windows and siding. Don't they like boxelder bugs?

A: That's an excellent question, but the answer is no, nearly all birds, including woodpeckers, avoid boxelder bugs. The bugs can release a foul-smelling chemical if they feel threatened, and this makes them smell and taste terrible. Because of this, they have few natural predators, although some chickens and ducks will eat the bugs, as do larger insects, in summer.

Boxelder bugs are pretty harmless, but their habit of gathering in large numbers on sunny days on the sides of houses annoys many people. The typical advice is to vacuum them up — or live and let live, I guess. So, all in all, don't look to your local woodpeckers to solve a boxelder bug problem.

Is the eagle cam done?

Q: When is the DNR going to activate its eagle cam again?

A: You may have heard that disaster struck the eagle nest featured on the DNR's webcam last April. A heavy snowfall caused a branch to break and the 20-year-old nest to fall to the ground. The DNR has kept its camera running, however: "The eagle pair still frequents the same territory, even though they no longer have a nest. This year, we will keep the camera "touring" locations in the area where we've observed eagle activity or perching and hope people will tune in to immerse themselves in the wildlife that utilize this natural area," said DNR spokesperson Lori Naumann, adding that the DNR is currently considering two possible new locations for its camera.

Mystery bird

Q: I took a photo of a bird I've never seen before, and wonder if it was blown into our state by recent storms?

A: The photo you sent shows a European starling in its winter coat. These non-native birds look very different in winter, with their speckled-looking plumage and dark beak. By the time breeding season rolls around, those bright feather tips will have worn off and starlings will again show a glossy black coat.

Suet time?

Q: Is this a good time to put out suet cakes?

A: Definitely, your backyard birds will relish this quick source of energy as a hedge against the cold.

St. Paul resident Val Cunningham, who volunteers with the St. Paul Audubon Society and writes about nature for local, regional and national newspapers and magazines, can be reached at valwrites@comcast.net.