I keep two hummingbird feeders going all years--three during the summer. When the temps got cold here in Seattle, I tried two different methods:
1) Feeder # 1, I put a trouble light about 6 inches under the feeder (since hummers are often banded here, I attached the trouble light to the cage that surrounds the feeder)--the nectar never froze, and the regular hummers that use it continued to do so. (I have used a trouble light in the past during cold nights, with the theory that if hummers are cold, they can perch near the light--I have seen some do so on cold days, so I have continued the practice.)

2)Feeder # 2 I rotated two full feeders--when one froze, I replaced it with the warm one. Since this feeder location is just outside my kitchen window, I was able to watch more closely. That feeder was in regular use with at least three separately identifiable Anna's--there may have been more.

Just a note; since I maintained the two regularly established feeders, with their established territories, I had approx. the same amount of territorial displays that I normally do. No cooperative sharing at my house.

P.S. I do NOT use food coloring. I have 7-9 year round Anna's, migrating Rufus, and immature of both using my feeders (during the summer)--so who needs food coloring? When I was first attracting them into my newly-planted hummer garden, I painted my shop door red, and I have a red gazing ball. My take is that the feeders, etc, have enough red to do the initial attracting; and if there is even the slightest chance that the food coloring could be causing tumors, why take the chance?

Christine Southwick
Shoreline/N Seattle
clsouth at u.washington.edu


On Sun, 19 Feb 2006 Pterodroma at aol.com wrote:

>
> In a message dated 2/18/2006, Scott Ray writes:
>
> << I don't know how hummingbird feeder owners are doing it here in Yakima
> where there are several Anna's Hummers. The low last night was 6
> degrees here. Was your feeder freezing? >>
>
>
>
> Hello Scott -- At 17 to the mid 20's, the feeders first freeze up at the
> openings where the hummingbirds feed and too hard for the birds to penetrate.
> Inside the tubes and bottles, it just turns slushy with the slush accumulating
> from the top down. It would eventually freeze solid I suppose if I didn't
> bring them in for warm up. At 6 degrees like over in Yakima, I don't think
> there is any hope or anything you can do except maybe try some sort of
> electrical heating device which I know some people do use. That's a little more
> trouble and hard freezes are rare enough over here, I don't think it's worth it.
> Anna's are such hardcore survivors and they have been dealing with this
> naturally for eons, otherwise they wouldn't be here at all, and I'd guess when
> things really get tough, they just bundle up, shut down, and go into a
> hibernation of sorts.
>
>
> ****************************************************
> Richard Rowlett
> Bellevue (Eastgate), WA, USA
>
> "Discovery consists of seeing what everybody has seen and thinking what
> nobody has thought" --Albert Szent-Gyorgi (1893-1986).
> ****************************************************
>
>


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