It's The Little Things

By Maryanna Gabriel

I have read in a recent David Suzuki newsletter that hummingbirds tried to put out a forest fire with drops of water carried from a lake. It is winter and the hummers are still here. I am aware that the Rufous is around these parts year around but there are many types and colours of hummers at my feeders. It’s another artic front and lo! Quelle surprise. Snow everywhere. I could see that these lovely tiny birds couldn’t get at the nectar as the snow was piled onto it. Hummingbirds need snowplows too. So I volunteered for the job. That worked and they happily fed. This morning though, the feeders were frozen solid. Worried, I knew swift and immediate action was required and so the feeders were brought in for melting and fresh warm nectar was added. The birds are all over it. Red alert. Hummingbirds everywhere are in trouble this morning. In a world where problems seem big this is very much like drops of water on a forest fire but somehow it feels right. It’s a tough job but someone’s got to do it. It's the little things....