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Wintering Hummingbirds



Fellow Carolina Birders:

I would like to echo the excellent advice given to winter hummer-host 
by my friend Susan Campbell.  There is no doubt that immediate weather 
conditions will be a test for not only hummingbirds, but for all 
wildlife as well.  The aged, weak or sick among birds and other 
creatures are often victims of such brutal weather.  That is a common 
scenario, perfected through uncountable generations of testing by 
Mother Nature.  She will do what is best for all the species, without 
emotion.  Mother Nature has no emotion and no feelings of the heart, 
only the desire to constantly strengthen each species.  This is the way 
of nature, it has always worked and it always will if we can resist the 
urge to interfere.

Before you respond, the "genie is out of the bottle" regarding the 
feeding of birds, including hummers.  That intervention in nature is 
unlikely to change. 

The last comparable weather in my area to what is now approaching 
produced the following results.  Last time, of the 12 Rufous that I had 
on site in the Birmingham, Alabama area when the cold weather arrived, 
11 of them were still on site several days later after the arctic blast 
had run its course.  The one missing bird was at the home of a host who 
was away and did not keep a feeder thawed.  I assumed that this 
seemingly unlucky hummer had died. Wrong!   This year that same banded 
Rufous is back at the same feeder in south Birmingham, along with THREE 
others in the area that have returned from last years batch of 12.  
These are very tough little birds.

It is currently 11 degrees F at my home and will likely be around zero 
tomorrow and possibly the next day.  Our local banders now have 14 
western birds on site in metro Birmingham.  I banded number 15 
yesterday morning and will attempt to band another this morning.  What 
we don't know about hummingbirds would fill a very large book.

Bless All
Bob Sargent
Trussville, Alabama