Winter,
Sudden and merciless,
Descends with a force,
Uninvited.
Clinging,
In the lee of the wind,
Near his source of food,
Hummingbird waits.
Snowstorm,
Filling every cranny,
Chilling and killing,
Bitter cold wind.
Howling,
Snowy blasts roaring by,
Threatening small lives,
Take shelter quick.
wordsfromanneli 
November 29, 2022 at 2:55 pm
Oh, das ist ja heftig und so viel Schnee 😯
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November 29, 2022 at 2:59 pm
And it is swirling and blowing, and oh so cold. The poor little birds!
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November 30, 2022 at 2:09 am
The birds can take it, we humans probably freeze more!🥶
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November 30, 2022 at 8:38 am
I’m amazed at how tough these tiny creatures are.
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November 29, 2022 at 2:59 pm
So, winter has finally come to Vancouver Island! Light a fire, make a hot cup of something. Wrap up in a blanky and be comfy! ☺️
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November 29, 2022 at 3:00 pm
Yes, I will. I wish I could open the doors and let in my squirrels and the birds.
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November 29, 2022 at 3:25 pm
Well… You probably shouldn’t do that Anneli! Those poor babies out there. 😭
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November 29, 2022 at 6:06 pm
I know. I hope they found a place to huddle for a few hours.
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November 29, 2022 at 6:25 pm
Me too!
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November 29, 2022 at 4:11 pm
That really looks like a blast of a snowstorm: stay warm!
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November 29, 2022 at 6:05 pm
We’ll be warm with our woodstove and our gas insert in the upstairs fireplace, but the outside animals … I don’t know how they’ll fare.
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November 30, 2022 at 9:31 am
The animals outside always are our concern, too. But, fortunately, it’s usually not very cold hereabouts.
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November 30, 2022 at 9:34 am
I think it is the harshest time of year. When it’s hot and dry, we can always put some water out but it’s hard to fight the cold.
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November 30, 2022 at 9:53 am
I agree.
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November 29, 2022 at 4:29 pm
Beautiful! I always thought hummingbirds headed south for the winter. Who knew?
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November 29, 2022 at 6:04 pm
We’ve had many mild winters and I guess they began to stay. Now they are paying for it. I feel so sorry for them.
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November 30, 2022 at 8:44 am
Me too!
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November 29, 2022 at 4:49 pm
I remember how surprised I was when I learned that some birds can make it through even the worst conditions if they have food and water. At least one hummingbird has a chance!
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November 29, 2022 at 6:03 pm
I sure hope he makes it. I’m not sure I would if I had to spend the night outside in this weather.
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November 29, 2022 at 5:35 pm
Brrr it looks and sounds cold.! Do hummingbirds remain there all winter?
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November 29, 2022 at 6:03 pm
Yes, they have been staying all year for a few years now. Not very many but some, yes, These little guys are so vulnerable. I feel really bad for them tonight because it its so bitter, bitter cold and windy and wet, first with snow and now with slush, and probably more snow in the days to come.
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November 29, 2022 at 6:13 pm
I often wonder how the overwintering birds survive. I like to think they have warm nests to retreat to.
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November 29, 2022 at 6:17 pm
I don’t think they do, but they will probably find a place under something, like under the trailer near the tires, or in the hedge. I sure hope they have some place in mind because it’s very ugly out there. I haven’t seen it this bad in a long time. We’ve had snow, we’ve had wind, we’ve had rain, but we rarely have all three so furiously and simultaneously.
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November 29, 2022 at 6:26 pm
I hope they will. Bundle up❄️
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November 29, 2022 at 6:30 pm
We’re keeping warm by the woodstove downstairs and the gas fireplace insert upstairs, and if we get too cold, we can always turn on the electric furnace (unless the power goes out). But I’m hoping that by tomorrow the weather will calm down a bit and the critters will all have survived. Thanks for visiting, Belinda. Have a good evening.
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November 29, 2022 at 5:36 pm
This is a very snowy day on Vancouver
But no snow here in Halifax. Anita
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November 29, 2022 at 6:01 pm
Yes, I think it’s Vancouver Island and all up a good length of the west coast.
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November 29, 2022 at 9:14 pm
Wow! That looks nasty – it could be the north except we don’t usually get wind like that. I heard that Van Island was going to get walloped. The poor little hummingbird! I hope he has a cubby somewhere to shelter from the weather.
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November 30, 2022 at 8:37 am
I’m watching for him this morning to see if he survived the night. We have a slight reprieve today but more ugly weather coming tomorrow.
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November 30, 2022 at 11:37 am
I hope he’s made it through.
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November 30, 2022 at 2:16 pm
Finally he showed up. I was so glad!
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November 30, 2022 at 7:23 pm
That’s good to hear!
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November 30, 2022 at 1:38 am
Eek! Well, now I can’t complain about a 40 degree morning. Beautiful photos, Anneli!
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November 30, 2022 at 8:38 am
It puts things into perspective, doesn’t it? Enjoy your “warm” days, Jill.
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November 30, 2022 at 3:19 am
I wondered where the cold came from. It continued south, dropping from 80 degrees yesterday afternoon to the 30s this morning. Too bad the beauty in the photos did not accompany the chill.
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November 30, 2022 at 8:39 am
It’s a terrible time of year for the little animals. Bad enough for us big “animals.”
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November 30, 2022 at 6:20 am
Wow, what a storm, Anneli! Poor critters outside. Your photos are beautiful and I love hummingbirds.
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November 30, 2022 at 8:40 am
I love the hummingbirds too, and I feel so bad for them having to try to survive in such icy conditions. Hoping they’ve survived the night!
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November 30, 2022 at 6:42 am
Oh burrrrr. If winter must arrive, I prefer the fluffy, glittery stuff floating down quietly, absorbing sound. No wind. My local news station showed your weather on the radar.
An icy, windy burst of air arrived here today, but without the snow. I can hear the howling gusts against my windows as I type.
Stay warm. 🧣
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November 30, 2022 at 8:41 am
Awful stuff! I’m ready for spring to come.
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November 30, 2022 at 8:44 am
Might be a while . . .
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November 30, 2022 at 8:57 am
I was kind of hoping for … next week? I’m ready for it. Bring on the warmth. But it’s another three weeks before the northern hemisphere begins to turn back towards the sun, so it could be a while.
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November 30, 2022 at 7:33 am
Wow! For a Vancouver Island location, you certainly had a lot of snow. Here in the Interior, it is awfully chilly. I am afraid winter came early this year.
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November 30, 2022 at 8:43 am
We’ve had very little rain and now this snow, so it’s not good for the water cycle on the island. Maybe it will warm up a bit and we’ll get tons of rain later on, but it has already been deadly on the salmon runs. Little to no water in the little rivers for them to spawn.
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November 30, 2022 at 8:47 am
The humming bird looks kind of cold by looking at the all fluffed up feathers. But I think he will make it through the Winter, they already adjusted to the cold during the last Winters. As long as you feed them, they all will make it, don´t worry so much!
The pictures and the poem are very beautiful, looks like Christmas is around the corner.
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November 30, 2022 at 8:55 am
Thanks, Ursula. I’m watching for him to see if he shows up today. So far, I haven’t seen him but he might be shoveling the snow to get out of his driveway – er … flyway.
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December 1, 2022 at 12:21 pm
Brrrrr. We have temps of 30 here with high winds, but no snow yet (yay!). I didn’t know hummingbirds even stayed around places that can threaten with snow. Our hummers leave by October 1. (Smart birds, for being so small). 🙂
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December 1, 2022 at 4:45 pm
Ours used to leave for the winter too, but I guess our hummers are “dummer.” They are amazing to have survived the cold temperatures we had last night and this morning.
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December 2, 2022 at 4:47 am
Sorry to say, but if I was a hummer, I’d have left. But I’m kind of ‘dumb’ too, because here I am enduring NE winters!!! ;-0 🙂
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December 2, 2022 at 7:58 am
There must be something very good about the place for so many people to stay there. Update: the second hummingbird is also still alive (I hadn’t seen him and thought he’d died), and they were at the feeders that I put out VERY early this morning. I’ll soon have to change them for not frozen ones.
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December 2, 2022 at 10:04 am
Great news. ❤ xoxox
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December 1, 2022 at 2:21 pm
When winter comes your way, Anneli, it isn’t messing around. That wind is ferocious. The poor hummingbird! What’s he doing up there so far north? Now you’ll need to put a heater in your shed to go with the gourmet food.
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December 1, 2022 at 4:42 pm
I had to change the hummingbird feeders four times today. I have three feeders that I alternate as one by one they freeze solid.
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December 2, 2022 at 5:45 am
Thank you for taking care of the little creatures out there in the cold. You’re a blessing.
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December 2, 2022 at 8:00 am
There are a lot of us but never enough. Even the squirrels, who have it pretty good in spite of the cold and the wind, are out there waiting for their snack in the morning (and extra ones through the day). I see they have been digging up things they stashed earlier in the fall. They’re resourceful. I know you’re feeding the critters too, and so is my friend in the Czech Republic.
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December 2, 2022 at 10:32 am
We are, though the temps and snow here is much milder. Our critters have just gotten used the hand-out.
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December 2, 2022 at 10:45 am
That’s good. I think we are through the worst of it as the day goes on. The week will be a tiny bit warmer. Unpleasant, but not killing so many birds and little animals. Keep feeding them!
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December 2, 2022 at 10:46 am
❤ Will do!
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December 2, 2022 at 9:19 am
Do tell that Hummingbird found food. S/he’s stuck in my head, waiting…
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December 2, 2022 at 10:43 am
Yes, all is okay with the hummingbird and the other one that used to be around IS alive after all. So there are two of them. Right now the first hummingbird is spending a lot of time on top of the feeder, conserving his energy between sips.
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December 2, 2022 at 12:35 pm
Whew. That’s a relief. And I know you have their backs, or however that goes with birds.
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December 2, 2022 at 12:56 pm
It’s a full time job having so many adopted babies out there. Glad they’re doing okay now. The weather is trying mild up, even a the snow comes down more than ever.
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December 3, 2022 at 6:05 am
Brrr… Thank goodness the hummingbird survived!
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December 3, 2022 at 7:52 am
So far, so good. We had a huge dump of snow yesterday so that makes life harder for everything living outside, but I’m hoping it will melt soon.
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December 4, 2022 at 5:33 pm
Fingers crossed!
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December 4, 2022 at 7:14 pm
Rain coming later this week!
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December 13, 2022 at 5:57 am
Anneli, this post takes me straight back to experiencing Montana’s often brutal winters. Today in central Ohio, we haven’t seen too many snowflakes, but my Montana family is thick in the middle of a potentially long winter.
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December 13, 2022 at 7:54 am
There are so many abandoned homes in Montana, and it’s no wonder. Life is very tough there; blistering heat in the summer and Arctic blasts all winter. But those who stay are the real heroes. Very tough and resilient people. I admire them very much.
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