Hummingbird Heating Pad

We live in the Pacific Northwest where the Anna hummingbird lives year-round. I love that they stay, but they also need our help to be able to do so. There are no food sources and they rely on feeders as far as I can tell. I have a heated feeder (so the liquid sugar water won't freeze) and I also wrap it with Incandescent Christmas lights because they give off a faint amount of heat with the light. 

I've found that the hummingbirds will sit on the lights and use them like little heating pads. They don't sit on the light when it is warm out - only when it is below freezing. See my photo (above) and say hello.

#hummingbird #annahummingbird #winterweather 

Hummingbird Hack: A Maker Makes

Welcome to Snopocalypse 2019. We have gotten 3 feet of snow in the foothills east of Seattle in the past week. 3 feet! 

We recently bought a hummingbird feeder and were able to hang it outside our kitchen window. While most hummingbird varieties fly south for the winter, the Anna's hummingbird stays around all year. 

I had read that a string of electric lights (not LED) could provide enough warmth to keep the hummingbird nectar from freezing. It works! What I didn't realize is that the hummingbirds would sit on the bulbs for warmth, like little heating pads. So sweet! 

The snow was coming down so hard I couldn't stand seeing the hummingbirds getting snowed upon. I thought, I am a maker and I can solve this! I took an empty large clear plastic egg carton from Costco, cut a slit down the center and slid it around so it would rest on the top of the feeder. I used some clear packing tape to close the slit and keep the plastic shield resting around the top of the feeder. As it snowed, the egg carton closed a bit under the weight of the snow, so I propped it open with a wire bottle cleaning brush. Success! 

Our little lady has shelter, warmth and food during this unusual weather in the Pacific Northwest.  

#hummingbirdhack #hummingbird #momentsofdelight #finddelight #birdwatching #birder #birdlover #mamabird #snopocalypse #snopocalypse2019 #seattleblogger #seattle #foothills #pnw #snowevent #costco #costcohack #birdfeederhack #birdfeeder