Hello, tweets.

People have been writing about methods of keeping hummingbird feeders warm.

We use Hotties, little packets to keep your hands warm when out in the winter cold. You start the chemical reaction that keeps one warm for up to 8 hours, then you duct-tape it to the bottom of a dish-shaped feeder (wouldn't work with some other shapes). You have to tape it thoroughly so most of the heat goes into the liquid. We also warm the liquid on the stove in the morning before filling the feeders.

Our Hermit Thrush went into our garage last night when we opened the door at dusk; it must have been roosting nearby and we disturbed it. We just left it in there overnight with some fruit and water. I don't know if it used any of those supplies, but the garage was warm enough so that the water didn't freeze. It came out when we opened it this morning. I've seen it several times in the yew hedge next to the driveway today, eating the berries that are still on it.

I assume wintering Hermit Thrushes eat insects on the ground, as well as fruit persisting from the fall. But deep snow prevents effective ground feeding, so they are presumably at risk when we have heavy snows. Probably a lot of ground-feeding birds are similarly at risk, so this is time when bird feeders really help them survive. Of course, if it wasn't for the availability of feeders, some of them probably wouldn't be wintering here, so it's a delicate balance.

Dennis
-----
Dennis Paulson
1724 NE 98 St.
Seattle, WA 98115
206-528-1382
dennispaulson at comcast.net