Feeding the critters

If you would have told me that little humming birds would fly to the 18th floor, I would have looked at you funny. If you would have told me that I would buy a humming bird feeder to feed said humming birds I would consider it but decide not to because... humming birds don't make it to the 18th floor. If you would have told me that humming birds would fly to the 18th floor in the middle of a storm or -5 weather I probably would have chuckled. If you would have told me that I'd be standing in -5 weather with my hair dryer unthawing my humming bird feeder I would have thought you were crazy.
Also, I would have seriously misjudged myself! At the sight of my first little humming bird friend in October, I bought a feeder (the very same day). I looked up how to make food for something with such a basic diet (no hash browns here) and made my new found friend dinner (and breakfast and lunch and dinner... they don't eat a lot, so one recipe will keep them fed for a while). He didn't come back. One day went by then two then three then a couple weeks! Then he came back, ate and left for a couple more. Just as I was complaining to Sean that my humming bird friends were gone, they came back! That very morning, Sean and Tugger sat on my living room floor waiting for the birds as they came and went (this was definitely a Kodak moment).
Since then I've been finding ways to keep their food from freezing. I was using my hairdryer to thaw the ice but that took too long (I kept looking around to make sure no one was watching, luckily no one in their right mind is on their balcony in -5). I MacGyvered a quick release for the feeder so that it could stay safely attached during the high winds (bird feeder falling 18 floors doesn't seem very safe) but I could also remove it during the night so it doesn't freeze and reattach it around 6am for the birds to feed. With the cold weather we've been having now, I have to take it in every 4 hours, soak it upside down in hot water otherwise their little tongues will get stuck to the giant popsickle. It's something that may seem like a lot of work but I don't mind doing it. They're really cool to watch and Tugger is really cute when he sees them (video to come).
So far it looks like there's two. A ballsy guy bird who usually comes earlier on in the morning. He will also come up to the window and go beak to nose with Tugger and chirp at him. He'll also keep me company when I am changing his feed or warming it, usually flying around my head, we've looked each other in the eyes before and I was kind of intimidated. Haha! The second one is a little fatter and paler, I think these are the females, either that or it's my morning bird with a little frost on him. She's shy and I have to move REALLY slowly when I get close to the window to watch it feed otherwise she'll fly off. There could be more than two but judging by their colours and characters, I think there's only the two.

Humming Bird Feed

1/4 cup sugar
1 cup boiling water

• Pour 1 cup boiling water in a measuring cup, add sugar and stir until all sugar is dissolved.
• Measuring the water after it's been boiled makes it so that the solution is more accurate.
• Regular refined sugar is best. Colouring, honey or any other fancy stuff (which of course I looked up because the original recipe seemed too basic) can be bad for them.
• The sugar water mix needs to be changed every week to every two weeks otherwise it gets moldy.

So don't be shy, put up a humming bird feeder. Those little guys don't have a whole lot to eat this time of year and they really appreciate it. If none come by initially, maybe put some red leaves or something around it. It was my fall leaves on my balcony that initially attracted them.