Help, outdoor light for heating a hummingbird feeder (floor, heaters, lights)

[Giesela]

I live in a small apt with a small, 6 . 8 cement pad behind it. There are two wood posts at each far corner holding up the small deck of the apt above.
I have a hummingbird feeder hanging from a plant holder on one of those posts.

A late (very late!) Rufous Hummingbird is still here using the feeder. Apparently they are hardier than Ruby throats but still this bird is now in danger of not making it through the winter (southern Ohio). I'm going to do my best to give it a fighting chance.

First thing I need is a outdoor heat source to keep the syrup from freezing during the day (I can take it in during the night).
It doesn't have to be too strong a source depending on how close I get it to the feeder but it does have to be water, ice, snow OK. And I'll have to figure out how to place it in a way that it won't hurt or burn the bird. The deck above is small enough and has gaps in the floor such that it really doesn't provide any protection. I thought about heat tape or wrapping christmas lights around the feeder but (1) that would prohibit me from taking the feeder up and down (2) christmas lights now tend to be low heat (3) the feeder is a smaller dish type and it I'm not sure how I would even get many lights wrapped on it.

Faced with shelves of lamps and lightbulbs at stores with frustratingly limited info and that don't necessarily say "outdoor rated" does anyone have any specific help or ideas?

I love to figure out a way to warm up a spot in the bushes but I'm not sure if it would use it or where it goes at night.

[1Prairiegirl]

Do you have a wild bird store near you? Could you contact the audubon society and see if they have any suggestions? What about a farm store? Maybe they have heat lambs for baby chic's....An outdoor propane heater would heat the patio...but might be a bit expensive. I wish I had a good answer, I feel your anxiety to keep the hummer alive, they are my favorite bird!

[Pitt Chick]

If you would have stopped feeding him earlier, he would have moved on by now.
As it is, he won't make it through the winter....

[luv4horses]

If the sugar concentration is high enough the syrup might not freeze. However, a simple way to keep it from freezing would be to shine an incandescent outdoor light on it (or even a heat lamp). The little bit of extra heat, plus the high sugar concentration should do the trick.

[Giesela]

Originally Posted by luv4horses

If the sugar concentration is high enough the syrup might not freeze. However, a simple way to keep it from freezing would be to shine an incandescent outdoor light on it (or even a heat lamp). The little bit of extra heat, plus the high sugar concentration should do the trick.

I had that much figured out. What I was asking for was any SPECIFIC recommendations for outdoor lights as most lights are not rated for rain, ice etc. I cannot find any.
The standard 1:4 sugar ratio won't freeze as soon as water but at some point it will and I don't want to increase the sugar as its not really good for the bird.

Birds, including hummingbirds, generally migrate due to other factors like photo period and hormones. If everyone kept up their feeders all year long, most would still migrate at the same time they usually do.

Hummingbirds in Winter

"Chances are the hummingbirds seen in Gulf-coast states and the southeast in the winter are actually Rufous Hummingbirds. While this species typically winters in Mexico, vagrants are increasingly being reported throughout the southeast in winter. Hummingbird banders working in the region capture dozens of individuals each winter."
Are hummingbirds wintering in the southeast more frequently than in the past? The answer to that question remains uncertain. It is possible that more people are now keeping an eye out for hummingbirds in winter and maintaining their hummingbird feeders year-round, so the likelihood of seeing and reporting a hummingbird in winter has increased. Regardless, if you live in the south and see a hummingbird buzzing in the wintertime, be sure to take a close look—it may not be the Ruby-throated Hummingbird that you commonly see in the warmer months.

There are still several probable Rufous birds in Ohio and I think maybe even Michigan.
Its always good to keep a feeder out IMHO

[SuperSparkle928]

Not that this is really applicable, but I put those donut-sized bird bath heaters (runs on 110V) in the baths for the birds that stayed year-round. Kept the bath from freezing, and the birds loved it.

[J&Em]

First of all I think it is wonderful that you are trying to help your little Hummer survive. While some people hold to the myth that leaving a feeder up will prevent hummingbirds from leaving when they should migrate it isn't true. There also have been more and more reports of species other than the Ruby Throat migrating in unusual large circular paths that bring them through areas that the Ruby Throat have already vacated. Some think it is related to a general warming trend over the last 50 years. I live south of you near the smoky Mountains and locally one of the experts who participates in banding and research asked that people keep up their feeders longer than usual because we have been seeing more of the little guys still migrating or attempting to migrate into early winter time along the mountains. Your hummer may only be staying a short time and then leave so don't get too worried, yet.

I also would not try to keep the feeder heated because of fire hazards involved. May I suggest you get some help from a trained rehabilitator in your area who might have better ways to help the little hummer survive if he decides he wants to stay? You could try someone who specializes in migratory birds since they would probably also have connections to others with specific hummingbird expertise. Here's a start for your state (you did say Ohio right?):

Wildlife Rehabilitators

https://owra.wildapricot.org/findOH

Wild Bird Rescue Groups < Ohio >

[Coldjensens]

Go to tractor supply hardware. You can pick up a chicken coop heat lamp for about $30. It is made to be outside and made to generate heat rather than light. The heat lamp is red, so you ahve a red glow whenver it is on, that may bother you, not sure. If your hummingbird gets too close to the lamp he will cook, so you may want to put some hardware cloth over the saftey frame. The safety frame is sufficient to keep a chicken from pressing againstthe bulb, but not a hummingbird.

[Giesela]

Coldjens - thanks for the tip. I like the red lights TSC has, might be a little less obvious to the other apt dwellers. But the aluminum thing, they have the same thing at HD, Ace and its not really meant to get wet. I'm in an apt and where I have to hang this chances are snow, freezing rain etc. is going to all over this and I was told by the employees at Ace and HD that it shouldn't be used for that.

I'll try calling over there tomorrow to make sure though.

I called an electrician and he said he;'d rig up something for me for 50.00. But he;s not even seen where I live so I'm beginning to wonder about this.

[wfurm]

Originally Posted by Pitt Chick

If you would have stopped feeding him earlier, he would have moved on by now.
As it is, he won't make it through the winter....

We have a ton of hummingbirds here in AZ. But the area we live in get's snow, and cold, nothing compared to Ohio. Though it broke my heart, I pulled my hummingbird feeder down the first week of September. One stubborn hummingbird refused to leave. We called him Bully. Though it took a week he finally left for Mexico, well I hope he left for Mexico.