Hummingbird feeder ingenuity continues: fending off the freeze
Instead of a You Asked Q&A this week, here is a follow-up from a previous post that proved popular with our readers (109 views as of Monday on the blog alone).
In the Dec. 2 issue of the Driftwood, in “Frozen hummingbird feeders: islanders search for solutions,” a reader’s question was answered about how to keep hummingbird feeders from freezing over winter.
The following was later emailed to the Driftwood by Salt Spring Islander Peter Grant:
Here are a few pictures of our winterized feeders.
1)
The simplest solution is a clip-on lamp with a 25-watt red light close enough to keep fluid from freezing — advisable with glass feeder only.
2)
The other contraption is clear plastic tubing with wire threaded through, then bent around the feeder to get the shape of a coil spring. Then mini Christmas lights (not LED, which do not give off heat) are attached (with zap-straps or twist ties). The coil slips off easily for re-filling. This one is under a small umbrella summer and winter . . . keeping rain and snow off in the cold and keeps it cool in the summer.
Note: The Dec. 2 You Asked story suggested a variety of ways to keep hummingbird feeders from freezing during winter. The Anna’s hummingbird remains on the Gulf Islands throughout winter because it does not migrate.
If you have other ingenious ideas, add your comment in the “Leave a Reply” field below.
