Lawn & Garden

By SALLIE SATTERTWAITE
Staff Writer

Every year ornithologists hear the same concern from bird lovers: By leaving my hummingbird feeders out after mid-October, am I encouraging the little fellows to stick around too long, risking a possibly lethal dose of cold weather?

No, they reply. The migration instinct is going to govern when our ruby-throats head for the Gulf of Mexico and tropical climes beyond it.

That said, however, they add that it is helpful to leave at least one hummer feeder up all winter. More and more frequently -- and for reasons not understood even by the experts -- the rufous hummingbird is seen in Georgia in the winter. When there are no nectar-filled flowers blooming, they depend on human intervention.

Keeping a feeder filled and thawed all winter can be a challenge. It needs to be cleaned regularly, although perhaps less often than the weekly rule of hot weather, and must either be brought indoors on freezing nights or kept liquid with a light bulb burning nearby. And for the record, here's the recipe for hummingbird food: heat four parts water mixed with one part white sugar to boiling. Allow to cool to ambient temperature before hanging outside. Neither food coloring nor commercial nectar mixes are necessary and, in fact, may be harmful. Never use an artifical sweetener or honey.

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