# Winter Hummingbirds



## imamurph (Apr 15, 2008)

WOW..it started to snow here in Oregon today.

I have been bringing my three hummingbird feeders in at night so the solution won't freeze. Today I have been rotating them into the house to allow the solution to return to room temp then I put them back out.

Currently we have two male Anna's and one dove who has been camped out in the back..


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## The Fussy Puppy Gang (May 21, 2007)

For some reason I thought hummingbirds migrated for winter. I don't know why. How would those little darlings feed themselves without your feeder? Don't they need flowering plants to feed? 

They're beautiful! What gorgeous coloring and great photos.


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## imamurph (Apr 15, 2008)

Wanda..

Well, some do, but here in Oregon the Annas's stick around in winter. 

They usually will eat bugs in the winter time, but putting out the sugar solution (which I make myself) really helps!

What I also learned is that they go into a semi-hibernation state called "torpor" at night to keep them from dying or freezing to death.


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## Pixiesmom (Jul 31, 2008)

Those pictures are beautiful!


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## Missy (Nov 6, 2006)

Wow Diane...those are gorgeous. I too had never heard of winter hummingbirds. Learn something new everyday.


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## mintchip (Apr 19, 2007)

Annas are around here all year round. Diane I love your photos of them with the snow.


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## Mraymo (Oct 30, 2007)

Great pictures. How lucky to have them around all year. I started a hummingbird garden this Fall, I'm hoping to have them in the backyard next year. I had never seen one in my yard until this past year, they were in my garden in the front yard.


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## Posh's Mom (Dec 20, 2007)

Those are really cool photos Diane. Thank you for sharing them with us.


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## Havtahava (Aug 20, 2006)

Beautiful photos, Diane! 
We don't get snow and hardly ever get temps low enough to even freeze for more than a few hours a night during the year, so we have hummers all year round, but I didn't realize they stay in other areas where it does freeze. I love that you put food out for them all year!

Our hummers (I don't know enough about them to know what kind they are) are always zipping around and chattering through our yard, and don't seem to mind the dogs. Last year, I had a really aggressive male that would buzz me fiercely when I got near my fountain (his main water source?) and was pretty threatening at times. One of my friends was poked near her eye by an aggressive hummingbird, so I try to ignore them as much as possible, yet still enjoy their beauty. They are amazing creatures!


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## imamurph (Apr 15, 2008)

Ahhh!!! Well this is the first year I left the feeders out, so I have been runninig and out all day making sure that the solution didn't freeze up. :frusty:

Right now the sun is going down so they are going crazy refuling for the night..

I feel sorry for these little guys..it's snowing pretty hard right now...


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## Havtahava (Aug 20, 2006)

You're a great caregiver, Diane!


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## imamurph (Apr 15, 2008)

LOL, Kimberly!!! We will see... It's only 5 pm and I just brought in the feeders..the solution is frozen!!!  :doh::frusty: 
How are these little hummers going to make it??

Maybe I need to insulate the bottles somehow..or put a space heater out..ound:

:smow:


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## Havtahava (Aug 20, 2006)

Well, they don't eat much (if at all) at night, do they? Maybe during the day, you can put some insulating fabric on the reservoir? I don't know.


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## Havtahava (Aug 20, 2006)

You really can find anything on the internet! I just did a search for hummingbird feeders in freezing weather and found this:



> *Source: http://www.hummingbirdsplus.org/winterfeeder.html *
> Based on 20 years of studying and banding wintering hummingbird species in the eastern United States, here are my recommendations for preventing the contents of hummingbird feeders from freezing. My personal recommendation is to continue to fill your feeders with the widely accepted mix of four parts water to one part regular table sugar (4 to 1). A mixture of 3 to 1, water to sugar, is probably not harmful but it may lead down that slippery slope of ever-stronger mixes that probably are not useful and may in fact be less than desirable for hummingbirds. Note that a 4 to 1 mix begins freezing when the temperatures drop to the 26-27 degree Fahrenheit range. At and below these temperatures, the fluid will likely become somewhat slushy. Hummingbirds will still feed on slushy sugar water at temperatures even lower. One option to prevent freezing is bring the feeder in at night and put it out again before dawn the next morning. While this works fine if you are a dedicated, stay-at-home early-riser, this system is however, full of dismal failures, such as sleeping late, forgetting, sickness, vacations, etc. Plus, the feeder will promptly freeze again as soon as it is placed outside on mid-20's or lower mornings. Needless to say this is not my favorite option.
> 
> The most successful option is to use a 150-watt outside flood or spot lamp in a clip-on utility light fixture. The lamp needs to be one of the shatterproof lamps like those that most of us have under the eaves of our homes. The glass on these "bulbs" is usually a Pyrex type glass. They will not shatter when they are hot in cases where cold rain or snow splashes on them. The fixture is a handyman type, with an 8" to 12" aluminum reflector with a lamp socket in the center of the reflector. The reflector part will swivel to adjust the angle of the lamp. It is equipped with a 6 foot long plug-in cord. The fixture has a spring handle that opens the gripping jaws when squeezed. The jaws will close allowing the fixture to close on many different surfaces when your grip is released on the handle. The spring-loaded jaws will affix easily to a shepherd's hook, deck railing, hanger wire, plant arbor, any protruding wood or metal surface etc. I recommend that the face of the "heat lamp" be placed so that it is 10" to 12" from the feeder "bottle". This arrangement can easily be turned on and off at the fixture or by unplugging the cord. If you use an extension cord to reach the "pigtail" cord on the light fixture, I suggest that you plug the fixture cord into your extension cord, then place that connection in a ziplock type baggie and tape it closed to make it more waterproof.
> ...


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## Mraymo (Oct 30, 2007)

How about some sort of variation of the heated dog bowls? Remember, you said they eat bugs in the Winter. I'm sure if they couldn't survive they wouldn't be there in the Winter but it really is great that you're putting it out for them. I bet they are so happy.


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## mintchip (Apr 19, 2007)

I have a @#$%^&* neighbor that took my feeder down last winter because he said "if they rely on the feeders they will never feed elsewhere in nature?????" 
I don't know about that but I think if you insulate it some way you would need some red to attract the hummers


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## Mraymo (Oct 30, 2007)

Kimberly - We posted at the same time. You're idea from the internet sounds much better.


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## mintchip (Apr 19, 2007)

Mraymo said:


> Kimberly - We posted at the same time. You're idea from the internet sounds much better.


same here. I will print that out for my neighbor!


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## imamurph (Apr 15, 2008)

WOW, Thanks, Kimbly for the info... :whoo:


Our front porch has an over hang, so this may very well be an option..


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## imamurph (Apr 15, 2008)

mintchip said:


> I have a @#$%^&* neighbor that took my feeder down last winter because he said "if they rely on the feeders they will never feed elsewhere in nature?????"
> I don't know about that but I think if you insulate it some way you would need some red to attract the hummers


Sally, I read an article this past summer that stated that some hummers go by location. I noticed this after taking the feeders down that if I hadn't gotten them out early enough that they were hovering around the empty hooks..

Another article that I read stated how we can help their survival rate by putting out feeders and also bird seed and suet.. I had as many as 7 birds clustered on my suet feeder today...and an entire flock on the ground eating seed.

I think if I can help a few birds though the winter then why the heck not?


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## mintchip (Apr 19, 2007)

imamurph said:


> Sally, I read an article this past summer that stated that some hummers go by location. I noticed this after taking the feeders down that if I hadn't gotten them out early enough that they were hovering around the empty hooks..
> 
> Another article that I read stated how we can help their survival rate by putting out feeders and also bird seed and suet.. I had as many as 7 birds clustered on my suet feeder today...and an entire flock on the ground eating seed.
> 
> *I think if I can help a few birds though the winter then why the heck not?*


I agree with you


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## Poornima (Jun 29, 2007)

Diane, beautiful pictures. Hope you the tips help you to keep the feeders warm.


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## JeanMarie (Mar 2, 2008)

I thawed my feeder this morning with my hair dryer and the poor hummies were hovering around my patio waiting.... I am going to try the idea of the light to keep it from freezing. We are suppose to have 2 weeks of these temps.

Thanks for the info!


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## imamurph (Apr 15, 2008)

Jean... a WONDERFUL friend of mine just bought me two more humming bird feeders and a beautiful covered/raised ground feeder for the other birds. 

I have a total of four hummingbird feeders now and am able to rotate them much faster.
When I bring one in I put the bottle in a jar of lukewarm water to help it return to room temp. If it gets any warmer the nectar will freeze faster once you put it back out.

I want to check out the heater that Kimberly posted...


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## JeanMarie (Mar 2, 2008)

Here's a picture I just took this morning. This little cold guy is topping off his tank!:biggrin1:


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## imamurph (Apr 15, 2008)

Wow!! That's a great photo Jean!

I am just AMAZED that these little guys survive and sit up on those snow covered branches..Here a few few more I took at quite a distance..the first two are in flight..


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## cjsud (Oct 26, 2008)

How lucky to have them year around. I have 5 feeders up in the spring-fall and have so many that I need to add solution every other day but on the first frost they leave. This month we got blue birds. I wonder if I leave them up if the stray hun bird would come back?


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## Mraymo (Oct 30, 2007)

Great pictures. They're such awesome little birds.


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## imamurph (Apr 15, 2008)

Cincy..

You could call your local bird shop and ask if any hummers winter in your area..or try to Google the info.

One thing you need to be sure of is that the nectar doesn't freeze up. I have 4 feeders that I rotate every few hours so the little guys can at least have some bit of warm food..


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## Sheri (Oct 11, 2008)

Diane, love your pictures. What a cheery sight for you to see.

Sheri


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## imamurph (Apr 15, 2008)

Here's a cool Web site for birds...I like the fact that you can listen to a sound byte on any particular bird to help identify it.

http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds

I had long ago identified the sound of the Hummingbirds as they get chatter crazy when Sophie is under or near their feeder! LOL!


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## imamurph (Apr 15, 2008)

The weather really turned nasty here last night and I was really worried about the hummingbirds, as a friend of mine in Washington said she found one of her's dead

Anyway, he (and the other's) came around about 7:30 this morning and although it was in the 20's, there were sign's of melting.

When I went to put the feeder out there was over a foot of snow and it was really hard and icy on the top (very slippery!)

After I came back in I was looking in the tree with my binno's where I know the one sits and after spotting him I noticed he was trying to fly away but couldn't as one of his feet froze to the limb!!:jaw:

Now this really freaked me out as I thought that he would just rip his foot off trying to dislodge it (hummer's have weak feet anyway..)

After several tries he did break free only to fly off to another icy branch!!
Well, it's almost noon now and I am glad to report that he still has both feet!


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## Sheri (Oct 11, 2008)

Oh, the poor little guy!! I'm glad he's okay thus far!


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## JeanMarie (Mar 2, 2008)

Awwwww....this weather is so tough on the little guys!
My feeder froze yesterday and so I brought it in to thaw. It was getting late so I thought maybe the hummies were done feeding anyway, and then noticed a couple flitting by. I opened the patio door to hang the feeder out and heard a buzz by my head! There was a hummie hovering right by my shoulder waiting for me to hang the feeder! The little guy sat and tanked up for the longest time!


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## imamurph (Apr 15, 2008)

Jean..that's why I bought a few, so I can keep changing them out when they stat to ice up.

We just had freezing rain, followed by heavy snow, so I removed the one from the back yard and left the two others out front under the covered porch..The one hummer (pictured above ) started to chatter like I just removed his only source of food.
Now he's hanging in the front with the others...

Gee, I hope they don't freeze to death tonight!!


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## mintchip (Apr 19, 2007)

I love hummingbirds and looking at your great photos


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