Biography
Placer County is located in Northern California. It stretches from near Sacramento to the Nevada Border. Within it's boundaries lies a varied terrain. Placer County has 5 of Sunsets Western Plant Climate Zones.
They are:
- Zone 1- Coldest Winters in the West
- Zone 7-Californias high Foothills
- Zone 8-Cold-air Basins of California's Central Valley
- Zone 9-Thermal Belts of California's Central Valley
- Zone 14-Inland Northern and Central California with Some Ocean Influence
This site is about the Hummingbirds that come to my feeders in Loomis, Placer County, California. I live in a microclimate area. We are able to grow oranges and grapefruit here. It seldom freezes and if it does it warms up again during the day. We have lived here since 1983, and I can only remember one winter when it froze for a continuous week. I think the mild weather in the winters is why I have hummingbirds all year long. We definitely are part of zone 8, 9, and 14 where I have my feeders located.
I started observing and photographing hummingbirds in December 2006. The first photos were horrible, I could hardly tell what kind of bird was in the picture. In January 2007 I finally started getting photographs that helped me identify what kind of birds were coming to the feeders that I had up. They were 2 adult male Anna's, 1 immature, and I believe 2 adult females.
I started the year with 2 feeders. By mid-summer I had 8 feeders and was making 12 cups (96 oz.) of nectar a day. In the beginning of September I had to make 24 cups of nectar a day for about a week. Friends and service people commented that they had never seen so many hummingbirds before. It was fun. Watching them come to the feeders and "fight" over the ports. I have taken well over 10,000 photos throughout the year. Not all turned out the way I liked, so I have also deleted about 1/2. The best of those are what I am showing on this site.
I am looking forward to spring and the migration that will take place. It should prove to be interesting as now some of the hummers know where I am located. I am sure that they will stop by for a quick bite and to rest up for their Journey North.
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