As I look out my window and it starts to get dark, it is still lighter than usual outside because of the snow. It has been falling all last night and all day today and will probably continue all night tonight. Big avalanches of snow are falling from the fir branches that have now bent as far as they can under the weight of the snow. I hope no little birds get caught in the cascades.
In the previous post I told of having to thaw the hummingbird feeders alternately to keep the sugar water available for these tiny birds. They are very hungry and I’m sure they’re cold.
Here is a very short clip of one of them slurping a last drink before night sets in. You can see the ice beginning to form again in the middle of the feeder.
A hundred times today, I’ve thought about the little hummingbirds and asked myself, “Why didn’t they migrate?”
wordsfromanneli 
January 15, 2020 at 4:49 pm
wow…. my free loading hummingbirds left out of here headed to Mexic with the first fairly cold wet day near the end of September 2019.
Hope the little guy(s) don’t freeze their tiny tail feathers off.
Happy Gardening
LikeLiked by 1 person
January 15, 2020 at 7:35 pm
You have smarter hummingbirds than we do!
LikeLike
January 15, 2020 at 4:49 pm
I found this that might be helpful to you on the Audubon site:
“If you live in an area where the night-time temperatures dip below freezing regularly you will need to make sure your nectar feeder does not freeze. In areas where the nighttime temperatures only dip slightly below freezing your hummingbird nectar may not freeze as the sugar solution has a lower freezing point than plain water.
However, it’s better not to have your hummingbirds drink very cold nectar; this can actually cold-stun them. For cold weather feeding, either bring the feeder indoors overnight when it gets cold and put it back outside first thing in the morning (hummingbirds need to feed as early as possible, especially when it’s cold, to keep their energy up) or you can hang an incandescent light bulb near the feeder. These bulbs give off enough heat to keep the feeder warm.”
LikeLiked by 1 person
January 15, 2020 at 7:37 pm
I wondered about the freezing drinks. I changed the feeders (I have two that I swapped out) about every hour, so an all -day job today. Tomorrow it’s supposed to get above freezing so I hope the little guys made it through tonight and then they should be okay.
LikeLiked by 1 person
January 15, 2020 at 4:59 pm
Great video! Perhaps this specific bird never migrated before, stays in the cold? They are here all year, I was walking the neighborhood earlier, I can hear them but not see them! 😍 Neighbourhood in Canada. 🇨🇦
LikeLiked by 1 person
January 15, 2020 at 7:38 pm
The lucky ones and the smart ones are down your way right now.
LikeLike
January 15, 2020 at 5:18 pm
So beautiful! Poor little beings! 🐦
LikeLiked by 1 person
January 15, 2020 at 7:38 pm
They’re pretty special. I hope they make it through this tough time.
LikeLiked by 1 person
January 15, 2020 at 5:39 pm
I feel like my eyes are playing tricks on me, Anneli. I only see them when it’s warm and toasty. Here is an interesting article. https://www.thespruce.com/hummingbirds-in-winter-386150
LikeLiked by 1 person
January 15, 2020 at 9:43 pm
Thanks for that article, Jill. I’ve checked it out. We got a huge, huge dump of snow and it’s still snowing. Rain and wind tomorrow! Treacherous conditions.
LikeLiked by 1 person
January 16, 2020 at 12:37 am
Stay safe!
LikeLiked by 1 person
January 16, 2020 at 8:28 am
I’m staying home until this snow is gone, at least from the roads. It’s much milder today so I thin it will be gone soon.
LikeLike
January 15, 2020 at 5:57 pm
I’m thinking that they don’t migrate; it’s usually warm enough for them to over-winter. I hope they will be all right. It’s so great that you’re putting food out for them. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
January 15, 2020 at 7:39 pm
Maybe they’re like our ducks and geese. Most migrate, but we have resident winter flocks too. Hard for them in harsh winters.
LikeLiked by 1 person
January 15, 2020 at 6:26 pm
That’s sad that they’re still there and happy that they found your food.
LikeLiked by 1 person
January 15, 2020 at 7:40 pm
I’ll try to help them survive.
LikeLike
January 15, 2020 at 8:26 pm
So much wind and snow over the last two days! I have also been swapping out my feeders,but I also have a thick wool sock pulled over each of the cylinders. The nectar in the container seems to stay thawed but when I checked the feeder I noticed the actual little tubes from where they feed where frozen inside. Poor little things. I may have to invest in the heated feeders that are found in a few feed stores. If only they would move south for the winter.
LikeLiked by 1 person
January 15, 2020 at 9:42 pm
I like the sock idea, but I also wondered about the little feeding tubes freezing. Poor little birds. I have tomorrow’s feeder ready to put out and will warm up the on that’s out there now after I swap them. It’s going to be a tough time for them. High winds and thawing tomorrow. It’s a miracle they made it this far.
LikeLike
January 15, 2020 at 10:14 pm
I would suggest you keep your feeders active. They are most likely here because of you. They trust you.
LikeLiked by 1 person
January 15, 2020 at 10:30 pm
I definitely have to keep them going now, but I’ll be more careful to make sure the water isn’t icy. I did change the feeders a lot because of them freezing up so quickly but I’ll watch that more carefully. Also it is supposed to warm up tomorrow. It’s going to be a horrible mess with all the wind and rain on top of a foot and a half of snow. The wet clumps falling from the trees could be deadly for some birds.
LikeLike
January 16, 2020 at 12:34 am
You have a lot of work with those hummingbirds. I hope that everybody has those feeders out in the yard for them! I hope that they all make it over the winter.
LikeLiked by 1 person
January 16, 2020 at 8:24 am
I know of a few people that have hummingbird feeders out – not that many, but some. It was bitter cold last night and the birds were so desperate, but this morning when I went out to put a new feeder out, two hummingbirds were at the older feeder, almost stuck to it. They weren’t leaving even though I was standing right beside them. So I put out the second feeder right nearby and in a few minutes they had discovered it. It’s much milder today so I think the hummingbirds will be okay.
LikeLike
January 16, 2020 at 6:51 am
It is pretty but very tough on wildlife. The hummingbirds are lucky to have your care.
LikeLiked by 1 person
January 16, 2020 at 8:26 am
I think without some kind of supplement they would have died in this latest cold system. No insects or flowers to be found – all were under almost two feet of snow and bitter cold blasts of northwest wind.
LikeLiked by 1 person
January 16, 2020 at 9:06 am
May God protect them 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
January 16, 2020 at 9:13 am
They are tough for the size of them. So far, so good.
Thanks, Hans.
LikeLike
January 16, 2020 at 2:18 pm
Weather patterns all over the world all screwed up. Poor birds weren’t ready for such extremes.
LikeLiked by 1 person
January 16, 2020 at 3:14 pm
It sure seems like there’s a big change happening. Hard on every living thing.
LikeLike
January 17, 2020 at 3:39 am
Great question!
LikeLiked by 1 person
January 17, 2020 at 8:35 am
I checked again to see if they are supposed to be migrating, and most do, but the rufous hummingbird is staying in these northern areas more frequently. Apparently they can weather the cold as long as they have enough food and shelter. I went out onto the icy deck again this morning (before daylight) to bring in the feeders to thaw. Moments after I had hung them back up, two (desperate) hummingbirds came along for breakfast.
LikeLike
January 17, 2020 at 8:40 am
I’d wonder about that too. Climate change? They’re gone here until spring. While trudging through the snow yesterday, I saw my bulbs peeking from the ground.
LikeLike
January 19, 2020 at 5:01 am
I love hummingbirds and have plants that attract them. I don’t have feeders. Like you I often wonder why they don’t head south in winter
LikeLiked by 1 person
January 19, 2020 at 10:55 am
In the summer, they like to go for the red hot pokers I have in the garden, but now even the last of the snapdragons has stopped blooming, so sugar water is more important. I wish they had gone south, but they are tougher than I thought.
LikeLiked by 1 person
January 20, 2020 at 4:20 am
I didn’t realize they were tough.
LikeLiked by 1 person
February 13, 2020 at 9:53 pm
I have no hummingbirds. Could it be I have no feeder for them?
LikeLiked by 1 person
February 16, 2020 at 6:56 pm
I’m not sure. You would her them whirring around like little helicopters, if they were around. If you hear them or see them, you could always put out a feeder then.
LikeLiked by 1 person