Remedy for frozen hummingbird feeder

[cjboffoli]

This morning I was horrified to watch my local family of hummingbirds trying to eat at my frozen feeder. I thawed it out, refilled it with fresh nectar and put a heat source under it (a clamp lamp with a 100 watt lightbulb). It seems to be doing the trick. The hummingbirds finally got some breakfast.

I find that about 10-12 inches from the feeder is a good distance for the heat source. And of course you want to use a good old fashioned incandescent bulb as it throws a lot of heat.

I’ve read that some increase the sugar ratio in the nectar in cold weather. They suggest this raises the freezing temperature. But I’d caution against straying from the 4:1 ratio of water to sugar as this is what the birds prefer and it is the safest for them. Any more sugar can cause problems.

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[dapuffin]

Thanks for the tips! We have 3 hummingbird feeders and they’re currently being thawed out and I’m about to make fresh sugar solution.

Also, as you and the other readers probably know… there is NO need to put red food coloring in the sugar solution.

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[AlkiMac]

I pull my hummingbird feeder in at night so it doesn’t freeze. Then I put it back outside just before dawn.

I’ve added a new feeder near an outside light; but I don’t think the hummers have found it yet.

The 4:1 water/sugar mixture will get slushy at 27 F.

Hope all the Anna’s hummingbirds make it through this cold stretch.

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[Lisa]

I’m also watching my hummingbird feeder this morning; covered in snow, some slush, but not frozen solid.

I typically get a single male hummer, but this morning 1 male was on it feeding, and 1 was waiting on a wire less than a foot away. They really need food on these cold days!

I usually keep a container of food in my fridge so I can refill as needed. I just love watching hummers!

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[hopey]

Thanks for the tip! I had a feeder I’d never put out. Now I have a steady stream of hummingbirds coming to visit. I am happy that I can help them! :)

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[B-squared]

I, too, bring mine in at night. i have two, and they aren’t in a line of sight. These little hummers seem to only do two things – eat, and guard their food. it amazes me how much energy they expend chasing off other hummers.

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[herongrrrl]

Ours is the kind that suction-cups to a window, and our nice old-fashioned single-pained aluminum frame windows let plenty of heat through to keep it from freezing! Mixed blessing, that.

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[Bonnie]

Thanks! That happened to our hummingbird feeder this morning too.

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[Jerald]

I wrap the feeder in bubble wrap and duct tape to insulate it. Seems to help. And I do increase the sugar/water ratio to about 1:3.

The nectar in the jar can be liquid but is frozen in the little outlets. I shake the feeder to see if it can drip out the holes. If not, I rotate out my second feeder from inside the house.

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[mellaw6565]

Heartwarming story – my partner’s mother lives in Sequim and when she was at her kitchen window this a.m. there was a hummingbird chirping and banging at the window. She saw that the feeder was frozen and went outside to get it to defrost it. The hummingbird followed her all the way to the sliding door, waited for her there while she defrosted the feeder and made new food, and then literally sat on the feeder bar while she took it all the way back across the porch to hang it. She said it was so desperate to get the food and she felt so bad that she baby talked to it the whole time and assured it that it would NEVER happen again.

I thought it was a really cute story:) New Motto: Feed those cold hummingbirds!!

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[Anonymous]

I was nervous about the hummingbird feeder sugar solution freezing.

I put the warmed-up hummingbird feeder up twenty-five minutes before official sunrise, but I was late. The hummingbird scolded me verbally until I successfully hung up the feeder. Tomorrow, I plan to put the hummingbird feeder out one hour before official sunrise. I plan to warm the sugar water using an electric heating pad, but I suspect that is not necessary. I suspect the hummingbird would prefer that the sugar water be available on-time instead of warm.

The base of the hummingbird feeder is plastic, so I think it will work well with an old-fashioned heating pad. The temperature will be low-key enough to start out the hummingbird’s day with some warm nectar after a long night of torpor during which the feeder was in my refrigerator.

One hour before official sunrise, I plan to hang up my hummingbird feeder, and I hope to have sugar water in it that is warmer than the ambient temperature so the hummingbird(s) gets a little extra comfort from the sugar water.

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[JoB]

i wasn’t going to put mine out because i haven’t had one out here yet in spite of having hummingbirds.. but i will fix that today…

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[inactive]

Beyond hummingbirds, putting out plain old water for the other birds is a very good thing, too. They definitely need water now.

It’ll require vigilance to keep it from freezing, obviously. It is darn tootin’ cold out there. And, the other types of birds, AND possible other critters, may become reliant upon that water. So, it’s a commitment.

Good on all of you critter lovers!

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[mellaw6565]

The local birds that winter here also need food – they’ve been raiding my feeders significantly over the past few days!

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[Sue]

I don’t have a hummingbird feeder, but I do have a regular one out front. I changed food about a month ago and they apparently didn’t like my new food, so no birds have been eating it. I kept meaning to go buy some different food for them, and then this cold snap came and suddenly the food is good enough for them. We are getting tons of birds now. Guess they’ll eat anything if they’re hungry enough. :) I’ll still replace it when the roads are clearer, but until then I’m glad they’re eating!

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[Susan]

Thank you to cjboffoli for starting this thread and to everyone else who added to it. Herongrrrl’s idea of placing the feeders against the window has prevented mine from refreezing so far. It’s amazing to see the tiny creatures flying through the snowstorm to get to the nectar this morning. Has anyone else noticed them chirping more in the cold?

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[cjboffoli]

My hummingbirds have definitely been hitting the feeder hard. It has been a real commitment to stay on top of it with bringing the feeder in at night and putting it back out there at first light. Sometimes I’ve seen them out there waiting for me when the feeder’s not there.

I refilled it this morning only to discover a couple hours later that it was completely empty. It seems the side facing the wind had caught more snow which caused the whole feeder to list slightly to one side. All of the nectar slowly filled that snow and tipped the feeder even further to that side until almost all of the nectar ran out. Needless to say, my hummers weren’t enjoying the spontaneous nectar snow-cone. And these feeders were not designed for such weather.

Snow here at the Junction has gone from big fluffy flakes to smaller, lighter ones. So I’ve cleaned off the feeder and refilled it.

It is amazing that these little guys can fly in the snow! Western Washington has some hardy hummingbirds.

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[Carole]

I have two hummingbird feeders hanging in my yard, but I also have two spares. When the weather is below freezing I fill all four feeders and put two outside. When those two freeze I bring them in and put the other two out. The problem I have today is that my feeders are the flat kind with the holes on top, and the snow builds up on top of the holes really quickly.

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[seymourloo]

Thanks to CJBoffoli for the inspiration! I have strung a set of Christmas lights on one of our feeders as a tester today. If it keeps the nectar liquid, I’ll will perfect the idea later in the week by replacing the bigger bulbs with a string of the tiny twinkle lights which should allow the heat source to get closer and more concentrated onto the base of the feeder, and to look a little more festive too ;). I have a photo but can’t figure out for the life of me how to paste it into this blog so imagination it is ;)

This cold weather sure does keep them busy, and a little more trusting of us humans alright! I had a similar experience to mellaw6565’s story yesterday. When I was taking the feeder back out in the morning (we have been bringing them in at night so they don’t freeze so badly), a little female Anna’s buzzed over, gave me a brief helicopter-hover-once-over, and decided that the feeder in my hand was safe enough. She sat there eating for about 20 seconds, during which I took full advantage of getting the closest look at a hummingbird I’ve ever had! Then, as is the norm, a competitor dive-bombed her, and they both took off. What a wonderful way to start the morning!

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[cjboffoli]

seymourloo: Wow! I’ve seen them waiting for me in the morning and have been wondering if they might try to come over to the feeder as I’m bringing it out to them. They seem to be comfortable enough (or hungry enough) to tolerate me shoveling snow near the feeder. Still, that must have been incredible to see them up close.

Obviously, be careful with the lights. Electricity and water don’t mix. Fried hummingbird is not so good.

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[miws]

“Fried hummingbird is not so good.”

Nor is fried hummingbird saviour! ;-)

Mike

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[Lisa]

Hummer Fans – I just had an amazing hummingbird experience!! I had already warmed up the frozen feeder once, thought I’d check it again. Frozen. Went out, got it, warmed it up.

I went back outside with feeder in hand, reaching towards the hook to replace it, when……hummer lands on feeder in my hand and feeds. Then, lifts off, comes back and feeds again.. and again, and again. She was feeding in my hand! It was an amazing experience! They are sure hungry!

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[cjboffoli]

Lisa: That’s so great!!! I’m still hoping mine will do that.

Actually, when I put the feeder out this morning one of them scared the heck out of me. I heard a sudden growling sound and it gave me a start. It was a hummer hovering about three feet in front of me, giving me a look like “It’s about time, buddy. I’m been freezing my feathery butt out here waiting for you!”

I sort of held out the feeder and stood stock still. He flew around me to the side and then darted off without landing.

I’ve been back and forth to the feeder all day. Trying to keep it warm and keep the feeding ports open has been a challenge.

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[hopey]

I’ve noticed that one hummer has adopted my feeder as “his” (or “hers”), and actively chases away anyone else who attempts to feed. Is there anything I can do to discourage this behavior? I do think others are sneaking in from time to time, but most of the day the little guardian is out there ready to defend…

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[Lisa]

Christopher, Keep tending their feeder and it will happen! Just when you least expect it…they fly in and you get that great experience! I felt like I was hand feeding it!

My husband & I have been taking lots of pics of the birds, so I called for him while it was happening – hoping not to scare the bird. But he was out of earshot. Darn… no photos of the event!

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