By Mary Reid Barrow

Photos by Gibbs Barrow

Early this morning as I checked my hummingbird feeder to make sure the nectar wasn’t frozen, one of the bold little critters buzzed me overhead.

“Don’t mess with my food!”

It was probably the same feisty hummer that perches at the top of a nearby tree keeping an eagle eye on the feeder. It’s always on alert to chase off at least one other hummer that has dared to dine there.

You would think that this sparring over feeders, as they do in summer, could be set aside for the winter to conserve energy in this cold. But, no, it must be a built-in instinct.

The two hummingbirds have zoomed around since I put my feeder out after Christmas when my neighbor Jenny Johnson told me that one had arrived at her feeder unexpectedly. Now we each have at least two at our feeders and really don’t know if they are the same two, or more.

Since then, I also have heard from two Baycliff residents. Trista Imrich has at least two visitors in her yard and Cindy Lackore has had a gathering in her yard for three years running! And I am sure there are many more of you, according to Angie Henry, manager of Wild Birds Unlimited at Hilltop.

Angie said that they have reports of hummers in neighborhoods all over Virginia Beach, many more than in years past, and they really don’t know why. “It’s bizarre,” she said.

The store has sold out of its heaters designed to keep hummingbird nectar from freezing. Trista photographed one of hers that looks like it is huddled up on the feeder for warmth.

“The hummingbird has been out there almost every time I walk by the window today,” she said. “Maybe the heater is helping to keep its toes warm, too!”

Others, like Jenny and me, don’t have heaters. We worked hard during the coldest weather to keep the nectar unfrozen. Though hummingbirds go into a state of torpor at night and don’t need to eat, they must eat at dawn to keep those busy bodies going through the day.

I only remember this happening once to me, a good 15 years ago when it was truly unusual. I felt so responsible for that little bird. (See my photo below.)

But whatever you do to keep the little birds going in winter, there is some magic in having them around that makes up for the worry and work. Trista summed it up well.

“Our whole family looks out for them every morning, especially on these cold days,” she said, “and we are all filled with awe that these tiny little flying missiles can survive these super cold temperatures!”

Let me know if you have hummers this winter and what neighborhood you are in.