It’s only fair…

…I suppose!

Given that much of the north American continent has been suffering the ‘Polar Vortex‘ (not totally sure what that is exactly but Winnipeg is shown as being -21°C today, which can’t be good!) and that the BBC is forecasting “VERY heavy snow” across Europe and “Freezing conditions and chance of snow expected in Valentine’s Day chill” for the UK – we really can’t complain here on the island that the temperature has plummeted and that we have had a sprinkling of snow…

Mind you – in Siberia it is well below -40°C – but I guess they are used to it!

No – for us it is but a mild inconvenience. Since our renovation last year – new windows all round and an attic rammed with newly blown insulation (not to mention our fabby new high-efficiency gas furnace and our gas log fire) – we are snug as bugs in the proverbial rug.

The ones I feel sorry for are the hummingbirds – and that is because when I looked outside the other morning I discovered that the nectar in our hummingbird feeders had frozen! There was a tiny little bird sitting near one of the feeders looking mournful – and tired! (Gentle readers will naturally be glad to hear that I did the necessary and thawed out and replenished the feeders).

Now – according to the Rocky Point Bird Observatory here in Victoria:

“We have two species of hummingbirds that frequent Vancouver Island, the Anna’s Hummingbird and the Rufous Hummingbird. I suspect you have the Anna’s Hummingbirds as the Rufous typically migrate in August. The Anna’s Hummingbirds spend the winter in Victoria (thanks in large part to people putting out feeders for them).”

Naturally my logical mind wants to ask – if putting out feeders for the birds persuades the Anna’s to stay – what makes the Rufous Hummingbirds head south? Are they just smarter? Is this just one of those odd quirks that reveals evolution to be even more complicated that we ever imagined it to be?

Sorry – I don’t know the answer to that one…

…but I gather that this coming weekend we will see some real snow!

Brrrrr!