Hummingbirds: How to Keep Winter Nectar Safe
Hummingbirds: How to Keep Winter Nectar Safe
If temperatures drop below -2°C, the only solutions recommended by Rocky Point Bird Observatory are:
(1) Hummingbird feeder heaters or waterproof seedling heat mats.
Commercial Feeder Heaters and Bulbs:
Hummer Hearth is available online or at Wild Birds Unlimited. It comes with a 7W bulb. https://vancouver.wbu.com/hummer-hearth Follow all instructions.
If temps go below -4°C, you need to buy a 15W, E12, T7-shape incandescent bulb (not LED).
Buy extra bulbs in case they burn out.
It's very helpful to have a remote control for switching the heaters on and off.
Home-Made Feeder Heaters:
https://rpbo.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Wintering-Idea-from-Sara-Hiebert.pdf
Waterproof Seedling Mats: https://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/jiffy-hydro-heavy-duty-seedling-heating-mat-10-in-x-21-in-1590199p.html
or https://www.westcoastseeds.com/products/seedling-heat-mats
(2) If you don't have a heater: You need 2 feeders, so you can swap the frozen outdoor feeder immediately with a room-temperature feeder every 2 hours, or whenever the liquid starts freezing. Insulation (like wool socks or quilts) don't stop the nectar from freezing, but they can help reduce the number of times you need to swap the feeders. Windy spots require more frequent rotation.
(3) Bowl feeders are preferred over tube-style feeders in winter. This is because the bowls don't leak in freeze-thaw cycles.
Note: Umbrellas or "Hanging Domes" can help keep snow and ice off the feeder:
https://order.wbu.com/fraservalley/bird-feeders/feeder-accessories/protective-hanging-dome-(red)
Reasons for these Recommendations:
- The exposed feeder ports often freeze first. The ports get blocked with ice, long before the rest of the liquid freezes.
- Even a feeder covered with insulation (like wool socks or quilts) will eventually freeze. Insulators can get wet and transfer their own cold temperatures to the feeder. Another issue with insulation is that you can't see if the liquid is frozen.
- As ice forms, sugar concentrations increase in the liquid nectar. When ice forms, it leaves behind more sugar in the leftover liquid. If the nectar becomes too high in sugar, the birds will need to find free water to dilute the nectar to a usable sugar concentration. Under very cold conditions, there may be no free water available.
- Tube-style feeders can lose too much sugar in freeze-thaw cycles. As the air above the liquid warms up during the day, it forces nectar to leak out of the ports. The liquid that froze last (with more sugar) now melts first, so in successive freeze-thaw cycles, the tube feeder can end up with less sugar in the nectar than the hummingbirds need.
- Nectar can freeze faster in windy spots. Keep the feeders in a protected spot away from wind chill, and check forecasts for changes in wind direction.