Metro Vancouver’s cold weather hurting local hummingbirds: experts

It seems the late-season winter weather that left Metro Vancouver covered in snow this week is hurting the local hummingbird population, according to a few B.C. experts.

Jackie McQuillan, the support centre manager of the Wildlife Rescue Association of BC, says the winter can be hard for the little birds.

“Hummingbirds have started staying in British Columbia for the winter, especially around the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island…and it can be very difficult for them to find the resources that they need,” she said.

McQuillan says that a key in keeping hummingbirds fed is having feeders outside.

“They’re quite dependent on feeders at this time of year because they’ve gotten accustomed to people having their feeders out,” she said.

“They spend the winter here and still need to be able to find food even, during these cold snaps.”

The association says it has been getting a flurry of phone calls from people voicing concerns about the hummingbirds surviving the cold snaps.

“We actually had somebody phone because they had a hummingbird in their yard that has nested already, which is not unusual for these birds, and the hummingbird actually couldn’t get into the nest because of the snow,” she said.

Kimberley Stephens, the hospital manager for the association, says that hummingbirds start getting ready for the Spring early, and the frosty weather can make things tricky.

“Hummingbirds are actually early nesters, so they are already working on making their nest and getting ready to have their babies for the springtime. So the snow did pose a little bit of a challenge for some of them, for their nest that they’ve already built,” she said.

One hummingbird was captured and brought to the association by a concerned citizen because he wasn’t moving very much.

“Hummingbirds who don’t migrate south for the winter enter into a state of what’s known as torpor, so it’s similar to hibernation, so they can slow down the metabolism in their bodies during that time so they don’t expend as many calories and don’t need as many calories,” Stephens said.

For people looking to help the colourful creatures, the wildlife association suggests planting native plant species such as salmonberries and snowberries, saying they can be helpful food sources that can help the entire ecosystem.

“Hummingbirds are really important pollinators. So that’s huge. You know, especially in the face of climate change. You know, we’re losing a lot of our pollinators. And the fact that hummingbirds go from flower to flower, they become an important source of moving that pollen around,” McQuillan said.