Just before our weather turned very cold this week I stopped by a delightful store to buy a bird feeder. The Backyard Wildbird and Nature Store in Nanaimo is full of every imaginable kind of bird feeder, squirrel feeder, bird bath, and binoculars to enable me to enjoy my patio visitors.

We had just had our first taste of snow and so I had to tread carefully as I approached the store. Once I got to the front door, I paused to enjoy the sound of the many different songbirds that were enjoying the feeders they had placed nearby. That was exactly what I wanted for my patio!

I already owned a hummingbird feeder but I wanted to buy a bird feeder that would attract the small songbirds. The staff there helped me buy exactly what I needed and advised me on the best bird food to put into it. They also gave me a recipe for making syrup for my hummingbird feeder.

The next day I hung both feeders on a plant hanger pole and waited for an hour or so for the birds to find them. Once they did, it didn’t take long for me to have a constant stream of winged visitors.

As it turned out, though, during the night temperatures sank to -10C (14F) with a “feels like” temperature of -16C (3.2F). As cold as this is, it does not compare to the awful cold spell being experienced in other parts of Canada, but it was cold enough to freeze my hummingbird syrup. I woke in the morning to find it frozen solid.

After watching the hummingbirds pecking away at the ice for a while, I brought the feeder indoors to thaw it out. At first I put it in front of the fire, but it was taking too long to thaw that way so I filled the kitchen sink with hot water and thawed it there instead. Within a minute or two, the block was thawed sufficiently for me to be able to dump it out.

I refilled the feeder with fresh syrup and watched as the hummingbirds found it again. Some of them also did a flyby right next to my living room window. I like to think they were visiting to thank me.

Two hours later, the syrup was already freezing again. I think I may have created a never ending chore for myself, but the cold snap won’t last long and it is worth replacing the syrup to see the birds.

My species identifications here are my best guesses, based on Google Image searches.