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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 22, 2017)
8 Wednesday, November 22, 2017 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon Tales from a Sisters Naturalist by Jim Anderson Hummingbirds in winter — what do we do? The topic of a lot of my phone calls, emails and text messages this fall has been about hummingbirds and feeders in winter. Right off the bat, sugar water is not “food” for hum- mingbirds. Like humans with soda pop, the birds get an instant shot of energy from sugar water in the feeder, but there’s not enough nutrition in it to keep them healthy. When hummers poke their long beaks into blos- soming flowers, there’s lot more going on than guz- zling nectar. There’s a krijil- lion species of tiny arthro- pods (animals with jointed legs) that are also inside that flower the hummingbirds scrounge in for nectar. Every one of them has what hummingbirds require for sustenance, which plain old sugar water does not supply. Hummingbirds can get hooked on feeders. They see the red which attracts them to come look at the device; then they spy the hole and bingo! They’re hooked. It wouldn’t surprise me if researchers also found that humming- birds — zipping along at 60 mph — can recognize the shape of a feeder from a long distance and will suddenly change course and stop by for a quick shot of energy. Please do not use food coloring in the sugar water. If the feeder is red, that’s good DON’T GET S YOUR FEATHER RUFFLED! Th r ’s still time There’s tim to schedule your holiday haircut! enough. Stay away from commercial hummingbird solution with food-coloring in it. The chemicals used to create coloring can’t be good for hummingbirds, and from what I’ve read about it, even if it’s approved by some gov- ernment agency, it ain’t good for humans either. But what to do about hummers in winter? Here’s what I do, and I’m begin- ning to wonder if I’m doing it right. Just about the time we have our first really orga- nized frost that leaves ice on the windshield of my trusty old Toyota 4Runner way past sunup, I take my feeder in that night. As the days continue to get colder I make it a point to watch the spot where the feeder was hanging, look- ing for any sign of a hum- mer searching for it. If one turns up I’ll refill the feeder and bring it back into ser- vice for as long as the days stay warm. My thinking is the hummer has been here before while migrating south and needs that charge of energy to keep going on. But as soon as the frost nights return I take it back in, wash it out, rinse it well and put it away for the winter. Then when I take a trip around Central Oregon, what do I see hanging in plain site? Yep: hummingbird feeders. I called two of my best sources for birds about hummingbird feeders in winter and both told me they left their feeders up all winter and only took them in at night to keep them from freezing. That really troubled me because I was (and to some extent, still am) convinced that leaving feed- ers up in winter will only keep a hummer here in win- ter where it will eventually freeze to death. Hummers can go into a “torpor,” a state of mental and physical inactivity, with partial or total insensibility and lowered physiological activity. It’s also typically characterized by reduced metabolism, heart rate, respi- ration and body temperature. This will increase the tol- erance for withstanding the intense cold for as long as 36 hours, maybe to the point of protecting a hummer when the outside temperature goes down to zero. But in Sisters Country and the countryside round about, that low can go on for as long as a week, or longer, with several days of temperatures below the freezing point during the day. I wonder if a hummer can wake up enough during the sunny day to fly over to a feeder, get some slurps of warm sugar water and then settle into another torpor for a few days. I hope so. In reference to humming- bird winter migration and feeders, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology states: “A num- ber of factors trigger the urge for birds to migrate, but the most significant one is day length. When the days get shorter, the hummingbirds will move on, regardless of whether there are still filled feeders available for them. “We do, however, encour- age people to keep their hummingbird feeders full for several weeks after they have seen the last hummer, just in case there are stragglers in need of additional energy before they complete their long journey south.” Does that mean leave them up all winter? Makes me wonder… And then there’s this from the Seattle Audubon Society: “There are many documented reports of hum- mingbirds that survive the snow and freezing tempera- tures. In fact, Anna’s hum- mingbird winter in the state of Washington where they endure cold periods well — as long as they have food sources.” So I’ll leave it up to you. If you feel leaving your feeder out during the day in winter is doing the right thing for a hummer who didn’t get into the migration frame of mind, then so be it. But please take it in at night to keep it from freezing. Who knows, with climate change upon us, maybe a Mexican long-tongued bat may wan- der through and stop by your feeder for a shot of energy as well. Frontiers In Science MONTHLY SYMPOSIUM IN SISTERS Pachyderm Intrigue & Elephant Lessons l to be u f k n a th e r a e W ters a part of th e Sis community for r! anoth er great yea Donald J. Miller is a humanitarian and conservation photographer with a passion for enhancing appreciation of the biosphere and awareness of the challenges facing l h t after ft photo- h t our planet. He has a special interest i in elephants graphing them in 1983 at Washington Park Zoo (Oregon Zoo). Miller’s lecture will explore the sophisticated nature of elephant society and communication as illustrated by the research of bi- ologists Katy Payne and Caitlin O’Connell and enhanced by the volunteer desert elephant conservation work Miller has done with Elephant Human Relations Aid in Namibia, Africa. Also trained as a registered nurse, Miller has done volunteer medical work in El Salvador, Haiti, and China. His travels contribute to the creation of his humanitarian images. “Invisible Gift” is the title of his new print display fea- turing images expressing goodwill – that non-material, seemingly invisible gift – shared among people of the world. www.delicatelightphotography.com This lecture is co-sponsored by Friends of the Sisters Library and the Jim Anderson Chair. Tuesday, November 28 At The Belfry, 302 E. Main Ave., Sisters One-hour lecture begins at 7 p.m. Doors open at 6 p.m. for community hour! Admission: $5; Science Club Donors, Teachers and Students - FREE Ben Crockett, D.D.S. p 541-549-9486 f 541-549-9110 152 E. Main • 541-549-8771 PHOTO BY SUE ANDERSON Adult male rufous hummingbird refueling for its long migration to Mexino. 410 E. Cascade Ave. • P.O. Box 1027 • Sisters, Oregon 97759 Hours: Mon., 10 a.m.-7 p.m.; Tues.-Wed., 8 a.m.-4 p.m.; Thurs., 7 a.m.-3 p.m. Save the Date: Tues., Jan. 23 Barbara Pettersen, MS “The New Genetics: Promises and Pitfalls” Bring your curiosity and an appetite for food, drink & knowledge!
