A Cold Weather Reminder

This male Anna’s Hummingbird sits outside our window this morning seeking some warmth from the morning sun. Jeanette has already taken outside the pre-warmed juice feeder and placed a bowl of warm water on the frozen surface of the birdbath. As this little bird sits all plumped up seeking to stay warm he serves as an important reminder that we need to continue to care for birds during the current cold snap that we are experiencing where temperatures are dipping down into the 20’s.  Lots of people take down their hummingbird nectar feeders in the wintertime thinking the hummers have gone south, and some have like the Rufous Hummingbird, but the Anna’s like this little guy live here in the Northwest year-around so its important to continue feeding.  Not only is it important to continue putting out juice for the hummers, but its important to continue to keep feeding seeds and suet for the others, and make sure there is liquid water available because birdbaths are freezing over during this cold spell.  Jeanette religiously makes several trips daily to the birdbath to break the ice, or add hot water. Of course all this attention to our birds gives us lots of enjoyment in watching them, but even more important it is necessary for their survival.