I would add that all the people who took in their feeders should try to scatter a lot of seeds out on the ground in sheltered places. This deep snow is really stressful for ground-feeding birds, and they could use our help.

Dennis Paulson
Seattle


> On Feb 13, 2021, at 8:42 AM, Lonnie Somer <mombiwheeler at gmail.com> wrote:

>

> Hi Carolyn,

>

> I agree. I believe that the Anna's would not survive now without these food sources. When I put out my hummingbird feeder this morning (I took it in last night so that the nectar wouldn't freeze) a little before sunrise, I had 2 hummingbirds there within 5 minutes. They've been coming back every few minutes. Normally, there is an adolescent male fiercely guarding it (his name is Nigel; I believe that he's a reincarnated English soccer hooligan). He displayed absolutely no aggression this morning.

>

> Lonnie Somer

> Seattle

>

> On Fri, Feb 12, 2021 at 10:42 PM Carolyn Heberlein <coheberlein at gmail.com <mailto:coheberlein at gmail.com>> wrote:

> Hi Tweeters,

>

> I am just wondering what you all think about the story that I heard tonight on King 5 news about salmonella and taking down bird feeders and emptying bird baths. They said even hummingbird feeders should be taken down. Personally, I feel that my 2 pair of hummingbirds rely on the 5 feeders in my garden for winter sustenance. If I thought they could survive without the nectar then I would be happy to take them down.

>

> I've never seen any bird except Anna's at my hummingbird feeders. Maybe a Rufous sneaked in during the summer, but I missed it.

>

> A couple months ago, I saw Pine Siskins at my thistle seed feeder. When I heard that they had salmonella, I stopped filling it. I saw 2 sick siskins but no others.

>

> I still have my suet feeders up. Many bush tits visit them as well as bewicks wrens and townsend warblers - even the juncos!! And of course, sometimes northern flickers, stellar jays, and starlings.

>

> Also, in the wintery weather that we are getting this weekend, I empty my bird baths every night so that they don't freeze. Then I refill them in the morning.

>

> I would be willing to stop all of this for the health of the birds, except the hummingbird feeders. I feel like my lovely Anna's might die if I didn't provide them some sugar water.

>

> What say you all?

>

> Thank you, Carolyn

>

>

>

> --

> Carolyn Finder Heberlein / Nana, Fremont Neighborhood, Seattle, Washington

> _______________________________________________

> Tweeters mailing list

> Tweeters at u.washington.edu <mailto:Tweeters at u.washington.edu>

> http://mailman11.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/tweeters <http://mailman11.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/tweeters>

> _______________________________________________

> Tweeters mailing list

> Tweeters at u.washington.edu

> http://mailman11.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/tweeters


-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://mailman11.u.washington.edu/pipermail/tweeters/attachments/20210213/2683f9ca/attachment.html>