Date: 02/26/2011

Number: 1

They've made it! Our severe cold spell broke this morning and our Anna's hummingbirds are still alive. Yesterday was horrid: the temperature dropped to seventeen and stayed in the low twenties all morning long and never rose above freezing. The hummers mobbed me when I brought out the first feeders at the break of dawn when the temperature was 18 degrees. The nectar froze up almost immediately, and the birds were frantic. I ran myself ragged stomping through the snow while replacing the frozen nectar with fresh—in the teeth of a northeaster gusting up to 50mph. By afternoon, the air warmed up enough (with help from the sun) to keep the nectar liquid. The hummers started chasing each other. The cold did not appear to impact their level of energy. This morning, the temperature had risen to 27 by dawn, and again the hummingbirds began to feed as soon as I put out the feeders, chirping angrily at each other. We have more snow in the forecast for later today, but the temperatures are not supposed to drop. Rain for tomorrow.

Bellingham, WA

Latitude: 48.7 Longitude: -122.5

Observed by: John
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