AUDIO: Newfoundland bird watching entuasiast and newspaper columnist Bruce Mactavish speaks about the Anna's Hummingbird (Photo courtesy Suzanne Sandmeyer)

A bird that is not normally seen east of the Rocky Mountains has been spotted repeatedly at a birdfeeder in eastern Newfoundland.

The Anna's hummingbird normally lives on the Pacific coast from California to southern British Columbia. Last week, one was spotted at a hummingbird feeder in Brownsdale, Trinity Bay.

"It's sort of mind-boggling that it is here in the wintertime and is surviving," said Bruce MacTavish, a Newfoundland and Labrador birdwatching enthusiast and newspaper birding columnist.

On Thursday, MacTavish drove two hours west of St. John's to see the thumb-sized bird that has been visiting Betty March's feeder in Brownsdale since last week.

His trip was successful.

"It's a miracle really that [the hummingbird] did find this type of feeder because they are so rare in this province."

MacTavish said Anna's hummingbirds have been known to show up in Eastern Canada.

"This fall, places in Ontario and Quebec reported their first Anna's hummingbird sightings," he said. "So there were a handful going east and at least one went the whole distance and made it to Newfoundland."

The Ruby-throated hummingbird is common in Newfoundland but is normally seen during the summer.