This is Colorado so we shouldn’t be surprised, but it still feels like a shock! We went from 77 degrees and sunny to frozen, snow, and black ice within the space of less than a day! Brrrrrr. We had to bring in some of the less-acclimated critters to keep them warm while others have full adult coats of fur and feathers so were fine outside! Fortunately we’re warming up over the next few days!
Meanwhile, the phone has been ringing all day with people finding hummingbirds frozen to outdoor nectar feeders. We recommend keeping those bird feeders clean and full through Thanksgiving, for the stragglers and strugglers. We believe migration is an instinct and keeping feeders does not interfere with that instinct; if a hummer is healthy and able to migrate, he will migrate. The feeders can be a lifesaver for a struggling bird. If you find a hummer sleeping on your feeder, please bring both inside and call us.
Still hopping around here! GHO from unknown location near Denver was released Tuesday evening, looking good! The Swainson’s hawks were released last month, in time for their migration to Argentina. Most of the songbirds and all of the water birds have been released. The coyotes have grown from pups into full-grown, completely wild young adults and will be released this week, back to where they came from. The last batch of cottontails has grown from neonates and are ready to moved outdoors for prerelease.
Within the last few days we’ve gotten tiny fledgeling goldfinches into rehab, and I just can’t believe it’s almost mid-October and yet we are still on a formula feeding schedule!