Cold weather and birds
Lisa Millbank
- Switch hummingbird nectar to a 3:1 water:granulated white sugar solution. The
freezing point will be depressed so it will stay liquid at slightly
colder temperatures than a 4:1 solution, and it contains more calories
per volume. (See below for an explanation of the benefits and safety of
a 3:1 solution from hummingbird expert and field guide author Sheri Williamson.)*
- Keep
nectar thawed from morning twilight to evening twilight. A short
strand of the old-style incandescent Christmas lights wadded up and
attached to the bottom of the feeder usually produce enough heat to keep
nectar from freezing on cold days (LED lights won't work),
although the feeders may still have to be brought in overnight. We've
used a "heat rock" designed for reptile cages, and that was effective
also. There are also heated feeders available from Hummers Heated Delight in Albany, and people have come up with other creative ways to keep it thawed. The northern expansion of the Anna's Hummingbird range is new and closely associated with humans, and research shows that they are at least partially dependent on supplementary nectar-feeding here.
- Some
small birds, including chickadees, bluebirds and wrens will roost in
cavities/nest boxes. If you have nest boxes and haven't cleaned out old nests,
check to see if the nest material has gotten wet with all the rain we've
had. If it's wet or dirty, you can remove it and fill the box about halfway with fresh, dry
insulating material such as straw, dry leaves, pine needles, wood
shavings, feathers or dry moss or lichens. Things to avoid include
dryer lint, cotton batting and polyester fiberfill/stuffing. Cover
ventilation slots (cardboard and thumbtacks work), or stuff the vents with the insulating materials
listed above, or use foam weather stripping.
- If you can,
offer fresh water in your birdbath at least twice a day because birds need to drink,
especially seed-eaters. They can eat snow, but it
costs them additional energy to do this. They also need to bathe to
keep up the insulating capacity of their plumage. You can pour warm
water (105F) into the birdbath and it will take quite a while to freeze.
- Pine Siskins are still suffering from salmonellosis and need seed feeders to be cleaned as often as possible. The primary source of disease is when siskins eat fallen seed and droppings that mingle beneath feeders, so minimizing that is the best way to reduce transmission. The stress of cold weather may make them more vulnerable.
"Some hummingbird experts do (or did) insist on a feeder solution no stronger than 4:1, but I've never been a member of that camp. On page 40 of Attracting and Feeding you'll find that I recommend a solution of three to five parts water to one part sugar - a pretty wide range. Hummingbird-pollinated flowers produce nectar that ranges in sugar content from as weak as 10:1 to as strong as 1:1.
Both of the extremes are rare, and the average sugar content is close to 3:1.
Studies of the birds' physiology suggest that solutions stronger than 3:1 may not provide sufficient water in extremely hot, dry conditions and that solutions weaker than 4:1 may not provide enough sugar for the birds to maintain their body weight when the weather is cold (stronger solutions also freeze at lower temperatures, which is very useful for people lucky enough to host hummingbirds year round). A 5:1 solution can be useful in discouraging bees or helping the birds through extreme heat and drought.
When I wrote Attracting and Feeding eight years ago, I was deliberately conservative in my recommendations to avoid upsetting a handful of my colleagues in the hummingbird community who were adamantly opposed to solutions stronger than 4:1. Since then most of them have changed their minds, thanks in large part to the article that begins on page 7 of this issue of the Louisiana Ornithological Society News
I now feed 3:1 most of the year, except during the very hot, dry days of late spring and early summer, and I do think it helps the southbound migrants and overwintering birds. Using a slightly stronger solution may not be as important to your feeding strategy with all the good natural food you're providing, but it isn't going to do the birds any harm."
Pam and Randy Comeleo
Thanks for the timely tips, Lis! -Pam
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Gayle Peterson
Thanks for the reminder, Lisa. I have one of those hummingbird feeders with the light. I’ll definitely fill it with 3:1 sugar water.
Gayle
From: mid-vall...@googlegroups.com [mailto:mid-vall...@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Lisa Millbank
Sent: Thursday, December 23, 2021 8:33 PM
To: Mid-Valley Nature
Subject: [MidValleyNature:6358] Cold weather and birds
The extended weather forecast shows unusually cold temperatures and snow between Christmas and New Year's Day. The various weather models are currently saying that lows could be in the single digits to the mid-teens, and with multiple days staying below freezing, it will probably be colder weather than we've had since December 2013. We thought we'd put together some cold weather tips for those who feed birds.
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