jackiec@hprmokg.HP.COM (Jackie Christopherson) (07/31/90)
After reading some of the postings about Hummingbirds, I feel
compelled to enter this warning.
I think it's super that so many people want to feed the little
darlins, but a year or so ago, a friend showed me an article
about how and when to feed. (I too, get great enjoyment out of
watching them at my feeder.)
The article stated that if you feed these birds "sugar water",
you are giving them something that will *soften* their bills...
this ovbiously could be disasterious in the long run. I now get
the feed mixture at my local pet store. I read the article in
some authoritative magazine. Will continue to look for it.
Also, it is great to feed the birds in the Springtime, but not
towards the Fall because if they think there is food for them,
they will ignore their natural instinct to go to warmer weather
in the winter...this also could be disasterous.
I hope I don't offend anyone with this news, but after all, we're
all in this group because we want the best for our fine feathered
friends!
JC szafrans@silver.ucs.indiana.edu (Pamela Kay) (08/01/90)
{Warning about messing with natural instincts deleted}
The only hummers I have experience with are the ones my
family feeds ...but
The hummingbirds that feed at our feeders arrive *promptly* on
April 25 each year for the last 6 years, and depart *promptly*
on September 6. Sort of the Indiana version of the Hinkley, OH
Buzzards :) (thought I was going to say swallows didnt you :)
The birds are very persistent creatures during the year. If the
feeder becomes empty (or low) these birds have been known to
straif members of our family until the feeders have been refilled.
They have also been observed to sit on the outside windowsill
peering in at us, looking for victims to dive-bomb when the feeders
are empty. Quickly refilling feeders makes them very happy.
Pamprzybyls@hpavla.AVO.HP.COM (Tom Przybylski) (08/01/90)
I just called Tri-State Bird Rescue & Research in Delaware after
reading this to check on whether you should remove the feeders at the
end of summer. They said YES, you should stop feeding them at about
the beginning of August.
I didn't ask about the sugar water thing (I forgot), but the advice
of the local Audbon bird columnist in the local paper is to use sugar
water (1 part sugar/ 5 parts water, change every 5 days) and not waste
your money on the mixes. Also, don't use any food coloring. The same
instructions came with the Droll Yankee hummingbird feeder. I sure
would be interested in references or more information on problems with
feeding sugar water. Perhaps someone could post an excerpt from such
a reference?
Guess the feeder comes down this weekend. Thanks for the tip.
- Tom Przybylski
przybyls@hpavla.HP.COMsandra@pyrtech (Sandra Macika) (08/01/90)
In article <32320003@hprmokg.HP.COM> jackiec@hprmokg.HP.COM (Jackie Christopherson) writes: > > > Also, it is great to feed the birds in the Springtime, but not > towards the Fall because if they think there is food for them, > they will ignore their natural instinct to go to warmer weather > in the winter...this also could be disasterous. > > JC Doesn't this depend on where you live? Here in the San Francisco Bay Area, I think the hummingbirds stay around all year long. Sandra
chuq@Apple.COM (Smile when you say that) (08/02/90)
jackiec@hprmokg.HP.COM (Jackie Christopherson) writes: > The article stated that if you feed these birds "sugar water", > you are giving them something that will *soften* their bills... Interesting. Sounds like an advertisement for a commercial mix (which is, if you look at the ingredients of the commercial mixes, primarily sugar water. It may use different forms of sugar than white sucrose, but it's still sugar. So, for that matter, is nectar. This article also flies pretty heavily in the face of most research I've seen and many years of experience by many hummingbird enthusiasts. > I now get > the feed mixture at my local pet store. See? it worked. >I read the article in > some authoritative magazine. Will continue to look for it. I'd love to see the reference. One article, authoritative magazine or no, doesn't mean it's true, especially when there isn't a body of evidence to back it up. There are a LOT of wive's tales in hummingbird feeding, and many of them get propogated without a lot of thought and research. There is, in fact, some research indicating the red dye in those commercial mixes is in fact dangerous to the hummers. So swapping to the commercial mix might be making things worse. I don't see how this can be backed by the facts. Sucrose and water or fructose and water -- there isn't a lot of practical difference, and I don't see how swapping in sucrose can, physiologically, do this. Someone with a better feel for current scientific research who wants to correct me, feel free, but I don't buy this one bit. > Also, it is great to feed the birds in the Springtime, but not > towards the Fall because if they think there is food for them, > they will ignore their natural instinct to go to warmer weather > in the winter...this also could be disasterous. Another long-term and invalid wive's tale. There have been a number of studies (I've read a couple of reports on them in the last 18 months) show it's complete bushwah. There are hummers that migrate and hummers that don't. They'll leave when it's time to leave (especially in the frost belt, where you have to worry about such things. Here in the Bay Area, where we don't get hard frosts, it frankly doesn't matter if they decide to not migrate, since they don't die off in the cold). Feed until they stop coming. -- Chuq Von Rospach <+> chuq@apple.com <+> [This is myself speaking] We tend to idealize tolerance, then wonder why we find ourselves infested with losers and nut cases -- Patrick Nielsen Hayden
REEDANDR@MIAMIU.BITNET (Reed Anderson) (08/03/90)
I can corroborate the observations regarding the effects that feeding hummingbirds late into the fall is not likely to have any effect on their migration. We've been charting arrivals and departures of our ruby throats for the last four years, and they are extraordinarily punctual. We leave the feeder full in the fall, assuming that they are "loading up" for their incredible journey and at this point we've begun to feel -- accurately or not -- tht it is important for them to have this convenient source of food until the moment they leave. Are we kidding ourselves? All I know is that the feeder hangs un- used for at least a week or ten days before we take it down for the winter. It's interesting to hear other insights on these habits.
mark@sco.COM (Mark Chojnacki) (08/03/90)
In article <121930@pyramid.pyramid.com> sandra@pyrtech.pyramid.com (Sandra Macika) writes: >In article <32320003@hprmokg.HP.COM> jackiec@hprmokg.HP.COM (Jackie Christopherson) writes: >> >> >> Also, it is great to feed the birds in the Springtime, but not >> towards the Fall because if they think there is food for them, >> they will ignore their natural instinct to go to warmer weather >> in the winter...this also could be disasterous. >> >> JC > >Doesn't this depend on where you live? Here in the San Francisco Bay Area, >I think the hummingbirds stay around all year long. > >Sandra
mark@sco.COM (Mark Chojnacki) (08/03/90)
In article <121930@pyramid.pyramid.com> sandra@pyrtech.pyramid.com (Sandra Macika) writes: >In article <32320003@hprmokg.HP.COM> jackiec@hprmokg.HP.COM (Jackie Christopherson) writes: >> >> Also, it is great to feed the birds in the Springtime, but not >> towards the Fall because if they think there is food for them, >> they will ignore their natural instinct to go to warmer weather >> in the winter...this also could be disasterous. >> >> JC > >Doesn't this depend on where you live? Here in the San Francisco Bay Area, >I think the hummingbirds stay around all year long. > >Sandra Anna's Hummingbird (the commonest hummingbird around homes and gardens in the Bay area) is mostly sedentary. Many other hummingbird species in North America are not (including several which occur in Northern California). In fact, some populations of Anna's do migrate. They move NORTH in winter. Yep, you read that right. :-) Anna's Hummingbird is known to move north in fall into parts of Washington state and British Columbia (particularly Vancouver Island). In Northern California, two common migratory species are Allen's Hummingbird (commonest in coastal areas and near-coast mountain ranges) and Rufous Hummingbird (occurs throughout the state and eastwards towards the Rocky Mountains). Other species include Black-chinned and Calliope (the smallest hummer for both the U.S. and Canada). As you can probably tell, I'm a bit of a fan of hummers. This spring I went on a birding trip to Southern California and Arizona (saw 9 species of hummers!). Also, the nodename for the 386 box on my desk here at SCO Canada is called "troch" (short for Trochilidae: the latin family name for the hummingbirds). And now a challenge: has anybody on the net seen more than 12 species of hummingbirds in North America (U.S. and Canada)? I'm curious to find out if there are any other listers out there... Mark Chojnacki, Network Applications, SCO Canada, Inc. (416) 922-1937 mark@sco.com (formerly HCR Corporation) or ..!uunet!scocan!mark Toronto, Ontario, Canada
grp@unify.uucp (Greg Pasquariello) (08/05/90)
In article <32320003@hprmokg.HP.COM> jackiec@hprmokg.HP.COM (Jackie Christopherson) writes: > After reading some of the postings about Hummingbirds, I feel > compelled to enter this warning. > > I think it's super that so many people want to feed the little > darlins, but a year or so ago, a friend showed me an article > about how and when to feed. (I too, get great enjoyment out of > watching them at my feeder.) > > The article stated that if you feed these birds "sugar water", > you are giving them something that will *soften* their bills... > this ovbiously could be disasterious in the long run. I now get > the feed mixture at my local pet store. I read the article in > some authoritative magazine. Will continue to look for it. > > JC I don't see any major difference between sugar water and nectar. I have heard though, that keeping the sugar water mixture around too long (i.e. not keeping it fresh), promotes the growth of a fungus that attacks the bird's tongue. -- -Greg Pasquariello grp@unify.com
andrewt@cs.su.oz (Andrew Taylor) (08/07/90)
In article <90214.134303REEDANDR@MIAMIU.BITNET> REEDANDR@MIAMIU.BITNET (Reed Anderson) writes: >I can corroborate the observations regarding the effects that feeding >hummingbirds late into the fall is not likely to have any effect on >their migration. [observations of ruby-throats] Don't Anna's(?) Hummingbirds now overwinter in Vancouver way north of the former winter range? This would suggest either feeding or maybe exotic plants has changed their habits. Andrew
HYD@psuvm.psu.edu (08/07/90)
There is a major difference between nectar and sugar-water. Plants which are
pollenated by birds tend to produce large amounts of strong nectar which has
a relativily large amount of protien in it. Hummers also feed on small insects,
but I haven't seen anything written on how much of their protien intake comes
from nectar and how much comes from insects. Anyway, if nectar is an important
source of protien for the birds then sugar-water solutions may cause nutrition-
al problems for the birds. These problems could manifest themselves as bill-
softening or in more difficult to spot ways.
Pauljohn@nmt.edu (John Shipman) (08/08/90)
HYD@psuvm.psu.edu writes: +-- | There is a major difference between nectar and sugar-water. | Plants which are pollinated by birds tend to produce large | amounts of strong nectar which has a relativily large amount | of protein in it. Hummers also feed on small insects, but I | haven't seen anything written on how much of their protein | intake comes from nectar and how much comes from insects. +-- I have seen several literature reference on this; sorry I can't recall where, but try Bent's _Life_Histories_ or Ehrlich's _Birder's_Handbook_. I recall reading that about 25% of the total food intake of hummers was from insects. I don't believe that the protein intake from nectar is significant. I have never heard anything about bill softening, or protein in nectar, anywhere but in your postings. I would be most interested to see any references. -- John Shipman/Zoological Data Processing/Socorro, NM/john@jupiter.nmt.edu ``Let's go outside and commiserate with nature.'' --Dave Farber
john@nmt.edu (John Shipman) (08/15/90)
Mark Chojnacki (mark@sco.com) writes: +-- | And now a challenge: has anybody on the net seen more | than 12 species of hummingbirds in North America (U.S. | and Canada)? +-- Sure, I've got 13: Berylline, Lucifer, Broad-billed, Violet-crowned, Blue-throated, Magnificent, Ruby-throated, Black-chinned, Anna's, Calliope, Broad-tailed, Rufous, and Allen's. I have 9 of those in New Mexico. My favorite hummer-watching spots are in Arizona, at the Santa Rita Lodge in Madera Canyon (Berylline) and the Spofford Ranch in Portal (Lucifer). I could probably get White-eared and Costa's if I had time to chase rarities; there have been a flurry of White-eared reports from Ramsey Canyon for the last month or so, and I know some spots where Costa's can allegedly be found. -- John Shipman/Zoological Data Processing/Socorro, NM/john@jupiter.nmt.edu ``Let's go outside and commiserate with nature.'' --Dave Farber
mjm@oliven.olivetti.com (Michael Mammoser) (08/16/90)
In article <1990Aug3.101449.13726@sco.COM>, mark@sco.COM (Mark Chojnacki) writes: > > And now a challenge: has anybody on the net seen more than 12 species of > hummingbirds in North America (U.S. and Canada)? I'm curious to find out > if there are any other listers out there... Well, I guess that I can't qualify as a lister because I only have 12 species in North America. :-) They are: Buff Bellied, Broad Billed, Blue Throated, Magnificent, Ruby Throated, Black Chinned, Costa's, Anna's, Calliope, Broad Tailed, Rufous, and Allen's. I've seen seven of these species in California. Mike
mjm@oliven.olivetti.com (Michael Mammoser) (08/16/90)
In article <49278@olivea.atc.olivetti.com>, mjm@oliven.olivetti.com (Michael Mammoser) writes: > > Well, I guess that I can't qualify as a lister because I > only have 12 species in North America. :-) They are: Buff Bellied, > Broad Billed, Blue Throated, Magnificent, Ruby Throated, Black Chinned, > Costa's, Anna's, Calliope, Broad Tailed, Rufous, and Allen's. I've > seen seven of these species in California. Man, am I losing it! While paging through my field guide and listing hummingbirds, I forgot about the biggest one of all, the one that isn't listed in the field guide: Xantu's Hummingbird in Ventura (first North American record). This makes 13 in North America and 8 in California. Oh boy! I guess that I do qualify. Mike p.s. The Xantu's Hummingbird has just been added to the ABA checklist.
sandee@sun13.scri.fsu.edu (Daan Sandee) (08/16/90)
>..... I could probably get >White-eared and Costa's if I had time to chase rarities; >there have been a flurry of White-eared reports from Ramsey >Canyon for the last month or so, and I know some spots where >Costa's can allegedly be found. Costa's a rarity? Come on - it's all over the place in California. And I had one this may in California Gulch which is not in California but in Arizona. I've got 11 species myself (after counting more carefully - first I forgot a species then I found I couldn't count - sorry Mark). All hummingbirds that occur regularly in the U.S. except Calliope. 8 on my Arizona trip. I have to go back there for a shot at the *real* rarities sometime. Daan Sandee sandee@sun16.scri.fsu.edu Supercomputer Computations Research Institute Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306-4052 (904) 644-7045
levine@lia ( Ken Levine) (08/17/90)
Hand-fed 1 year old umbrella Cockatoo for sale: We are going to have to sell our one year old Umbrella Cockatto, due to personal circumstances. She is a domestic, hand fed, extremely tame large bird, who loves to be kissed and hugged, loves to sit quietly with people (even strangers), and will keep you entertained for hours at a time with her antics. We are looking for serious pet owners, preferably ones who would be able to treat her as "queen bird", i.e., who do not have a lot of other birds at this time. We will sell her alone, or with a large cage (2'x2'x5', with playpen on top), along with several toys, etc. We are located in SF. Please contact Ken or Alex at (415) 929-8737.