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The chickadees, the spotted towhees and a downy woodpecker pay you no attention as they flit from branch to branch or peck at seeds on the snow-covered ground — it’s like you’re in the middle of a Hallmark Christmas card.

One chickadee is so bold as to drink some nectar out of the hummingbird feeder at the Wildlife Rescue Association grounds at Burnaby Lake, which takes some courage if you’ve ever seen a hummingbird defend its feeder against rivals.

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In the new medical building next door are 12 Anna’s hummingbirds — their emerald feathers and rose-pink throats sparkling iridescently — ones who were freezing on someone’s patio or balcony, were brought in and nursed back to health, and who will be released when the weather warms up again.

“The feeders have frozen, and the birds are in distress,” said communications coordinator Vindi Sekhon.

Hummingbirds migrate from as far away as Mexico, but many overwinter in the Lower Mainland because of a proliferation of feeders since the 1990s, Sekhon said. She suggested having two feeders on hand, switching them morning and night, or buying a feeder heater (a lightbulb or string of Christmas lights will do, as well).