On 9 Dec 2009, at 13:06, Kenneth Hixson wrote: > I took the hummingbird feeders down in October when the honeybees got > too thick, put them back up when I saw more hummingbirds. > Yesterday morning the feeder was frozen solid, I microwaved it until > it thawed out. By 11 AM there were two hummingbirds fighting at the > feeder. This morning there was one sitting in a shrub nearby by 8 AM. > They must be able to hibernate overnight? Hummingbird feeders in winter: Make your syrup from 1 volume of sugar to 2 volumes of water. This will stay liquid down to at least 20F. Perhaps someone with their chemistry in good working order can calculate the actual freezing point depression of such a concentration of sugar? I notice other small birds seeking water during these freezes. If you can figure out some way to keep a container of water from freezing, you will be doing thenm a favor. Which they may return next year by eating pests. -- Rodger Whitlock Victoria, British Columbia, Canada Maritime Zone 8, a cool Mediterranean climate on beautiful Vancouver Island http://maps.google.ca/maps/…