Winter has arrived and I've had a busy weekend enjoying the companionship of my neighbors while huddled at the bottom of the sledding hill.
The children couldn't be happier. Snow was originally forecast for Friday, but in usual Seattle fashion it simply rained all day, saturating the ground and roads. When the snow finally came and started sticking, it was on top of a layer of ice. Although we only got a couple inches, the thick ice below made it excellent for sliding down the hill.
I always love it when the mountains are "out" after a snow. This is a view East from the top of the street. Unfortunately all the houses are oriented North - South toward each other, instead of to the view, so in order to see this vista, one must go stand in the middle of the street. I'm convinced housing developers have no common sense at all.
Someone else seems to have no sense -- hummingbirds who decided not to migrate this year. I usually don't maintain feeders in the winter, specifically so that I don't interfere with migration, but it is 24 degrees and these little hummers need calories if they are going to survive the cold snap. A week ago it was an unseasonably 60 degrees, and now the forecast is for temps in the teens.
I always leave a few vegetables in the garden to go to seed, providing food and shelter for the animals through the winter. A few days ago I noticed the hummers around the broccoli still in flower. They were hovering constantly, so I decided to get the feeder out as well.
The solution kept freezing, so I put an iron-based, oxygen activated hand warmer in a ziploc bag, and then submerged it into the liquid.
My husband woke me early this morning to inform me that my "baby" was at the kitchen window waiting for me to feed him. I have to take the feeder in at night so that it doesn't crack from the solution expanding as it freezes solid overnight.
During the day the hummers perch on the grape vines a few feet away from the feeder. When another hummer approaches, they dive-bomb each other and chase one another away. Eventually everyone swoops in for a turn to feed, but they're very territorial and each likes to think that the feeder belongs to them alone. While perching they continually fluff their downy feathers, trying to stay warm. I have no idea how they can survive the cold with such a high metabolism and tiny bodies.
I've already received notice that school is delayed for sure on Monday, and may be outright canceled depending on if we get more snow overnight. The ice and steep hills are what make it so dangerous for the school bus drivers, so the district plays it safe and just cancels if there is any question about unsafe conditions. I look forward to more time outside with my girls and neighbors, enjoying the brisk beauty of a rare winter wonderland.
happy holidays! I really enjoyed your hummingbird post as well!
Posted by: leslie biggar | Tuesday, December 16, 2008 at 03:42 AM