Hello Everyone: I have a hummer in my backyard this time of the year and I am very concerned because the weather forecast predicts freezing temps Sunday night. It is a female bird and I started seeing her earlier this week and hung some of my feeders back outside. I have seen her every day, feeding from the firespike plants and now from the feeders. Any suggestions or ideas of what else I could do for that poor little hummer?
Hummingbird in Winter (or freezing temps)
Just make sure the feeder doesn't freeze would be all I could think of.
Thanks melsalz. Luckily, it should not freeze here after all; tomorrow's low should be 36. We will just get a lot of rain. I did fill up all the feeders today and will monitor tomorrow. It is just so unusual to see that poor bird this time of year. I had hummers all through the summer and did not see any since September last year.
Your bird should be fine. I agree with the suggestion to keep the feeders from freezing. Bring them in at night and put them back out in the morning to keep the sugar water from freezing. The birds go into a "torpor" sleep to protect them from the cold. http://www.learner.org/jnorth/tm/humm/EnergyTorpor.html
Usually freezes here in Florida don't last too long and the day temps usually warm up pretty quick when there is a freeze. You may also have more than one bird. I thought I only had one until I saw them chasing each other. Both of mine looked like females or young males. Mine have been around since November and they don't seem like they plan on leaving anytime soon. I think Florida is getting to be more and more a vacation/wintering spot for the Ruby-throats. More and more of them are showing up in my area which is south of you. The hummingbird feeders are flying off the shelves at the stores. So my guess is more and more are returning or staying in Florida. I am curious to see how long my hummers stay here. This is my first year to have hummers.
Becky!!!! I knew I could count on you. So, you finally do have your own hummers. Congratulations!
As far as I can tell, I only have one female right now. I read somewhere that older or sick hummers may not always be able to migrate. However, I did not see any for four months and now this poor creature shows up. Right after New Years, we had two days with 28 overnight temps and not much warmer in the day. Actually, I lost a lot of plants that week. Anyway, the hummingbird showed up just this week and I just hope that we will not get a hard freeze anytime soon… Since I am in NE FL, our daytime high temps may only reach the 50’s, i.e. Sunday’s high will only be 50. The thought that hummers go into a torpor is certainly comforting. Thank you for that information, Becky.
I have noted that this area gets too cold in the winter for native or tropical plants and too hot and/or dry in the summer for other plants, i.e., roses. And now I have this poor misguided hummer…
I wouldn't worry about the hummer. It is probably just passing through or hanging out with you for the winter. Just keep the feeder cleaned and filled every couple of days! And enjoy your little friend! :-) :-)
Did you see this thread. I posted some video of my hummer(s) which are still here. Seems they have claimed my yard. I hear them chirping during the day when I get near their feeders or the flowering plants! LOL! Very territorial indeed! Love these little birdies!!
If you haven't already, check out this thread:
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/796376/