Helping our hovering friends wing it through winter
The winter cold puts extra stress on resident hummingbirds, which somehow still manage to tough it out through the worst conditions.
Here are a few tips gleaned from bird-friendly folk to keep your hummingbirds on the whirl all winter long.
"It's important to remember to keep fresh nectar out when it's cold, if you've been feeding hummingbirds regularly, as this can often be their only source of food in winter," says Jeremy, of Wild Birds Unlimited. He recommends changing the nectar at least weekly, if not more often.
(If making your own nectar, the The Audubon Society-recommended recipe is HERE. )
For those who work from home, having two feeders on the go and switching them out through the day is the easiest low-tech solution.
When this isn't an option, light fittings can be attached to flat-bottomed hummingbird feeders, as shown.
"It's important not to warm the nectar, which becomes lethal to the birds if it ferments," says local birder Penny Nelson. "The small bulb (7 or 15 watt) just keeps it from freezing."
Nelson also says she has affixed small, activated handwarmers to the base of the feeder with painter's tape, but now relies on the electric variety.
The feeder lights are currently available at Wild Birds Unlimited on Marine Drive in North Vancouver.
Feeder warmers are also available online through Hummers Heated Delight, of the Willamette Valley in Oregon.
Do you have tips for keeping local hummingbirds safe in winter?
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Excellent, timely information. Thanks for getting it out into the community. We bought two of the heated feeders from HUMMERS HEATED DELIGHT last year. They have worked well and the hummers appear to love them.