Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Hummingbirds in January

With a temperature forecast of the low 'teens, I brought the hummingbird feeders in at dusk.  This morning I put one of them out at first light.  By 8:30 it was full of ice crystals.  I took the other one out to swap; before I even got to the feeder station a vermilliion-headed hummer was at the feeder.  I stayed immobile.  It whirred and whizzed and bobbed into each of the "blossoms" before zooming into the barren lilac limbs. Virginia watched with delight, through the kitchen window. 

I set the kitchen range buzzer for an hour, and changed out again, all morning long.   Next time the bird was a ruby-throated variety.   With sunshine all afternoon and the mercury (mercury?) near the 30s, I left the feeder in place until a half-hour after sunset.  But then it already was solid ice.

Somebody told somebody else that she doubles the sugar in the solution in this weather.  I'll try it for the morning feeder.  I just hope the hummers don't get diabetes, or overweight.

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