ARCTIC HUMMING BIRDS

My hummingbird feeder

When I put this photo up on my Facebook page last week, someone commented "what would use it in the Winter?

Aside from a curious Hairy Woodpecker nothing has.

However, Bearwise, when they first came on the scene some years ago urged everyone to take down all their bird feeders during the summer months and only put them and suet and nectar feeders up once the bears have denned for the winter. Now, as soon as I read that I knew no "science" was behind their "Bear Policy".

Unless -

Maybe they grew up with Buzz Lien's tall tale of Arctic Humming birds?

Buzz wrote in 1974 -

"Not too long ago, the presence of Arctic Humming birds was reported from White River. I didn't think much of it at the time because what is so unusual about an Arctic humming bird in this country. In the latte part of December through the third week of February they simply swarm in this area. What is unusual though, is to have them reported as far south as White River."

"These tiny fragile birds originally got their name in Beardmore, Ontario. Some twenty years ago (1954) they were first observed one night when it was 74 degrees below zero. They were flying up to an overly large outdoor thermometer, clinging briefly to it while they checked the temperature. When it was down in the 70 degree bracket they could be heard giving their slow contented "Hmmm-hmmm-hmmm!" But, when the mercury would zoom up to 30 below, the little things would become frantic and the "Hmmm-hmmm-hmmm" would pour forth in a rising crescendo."

"These fragile birds with their tiny bulk, great speed and poor wing control are particularly noticeable in Bearmore- Jellicoe-Geraldton when the ice fog rolls in, heavy and opaque from Lake Nipigon. Then if you are abroad  in the land and feel tiny flicks of cold on your face you have blundered into a flock of humming birds. Since they are so small they are no threat to your health or well being."

"This has been a good winter for them as the ice worms and snow bugs have been particularly abundant."

Now Buzz didn't just leave the story there. As Chairman of the Museum Board in 1974 he baited his hook -

"We had a pair in the Nipigon Museum for display in our glass fronted deep freeze but the Yo-yo who was looking after them forgot to cover them one night. The temperature hotted up to 40 below and the poor things died of heat exhaustion."

"Visit the Nipigon Museum this summer and we'll show you the place we kept them, but we won't tell the Yo-yo's name."

Alas the fire that destroyed the Nipigon Museum in 1990 also destroyed all evidence of this being in any way verified.

However, I'll keep my humming bird feeder out - just in case those little tykes need a slurp of frozen nectar...not because "Bearwise" tells me to.