jimf@ihlpf.ATT.COM (YES) (04/21/89)
In article <1360@naucse.UUCP>, rrw@naucse.UUCP (Robert Wier) writes: > > > > From article <2806@lindy.Stanford.EDU>, by GC.SUL@forsythe.stanford.edu (MIKE SULLIVAN): > > Its recommended NOT to put red food color in hummingbird nectar. It > > is unnecessay and harmful to the birds. Remember hummingbirds have I know it's popular to assume that every food additive is harmful, but do you have a real source that backs up this statement. I have a book, written by a vet, that recommends food coloring as an attractant. Of course, if your feeder is red, you don't need it anyway. When do hummingbirds show up in northern Illinois?
kaufman@maxzilla.Encore.COM (Lar Kaufman) (04/22/89)
In article <8306@ihlpf.ATT.COM> jimf@ihlpf.ATT.COM (YES) writes: >In article <1360@naucse.UUCP>, rrw@naucse.UUCP (Robert Wier) writes: >> From article <2806@lindy.Stanford.EDU>, by GC.SUL@forsythe.stanford.edu (MIKE SULLIVAN): >> > It's recommended NOT to put red food color in hummingbird nectar. It >> > is unnecessary and harmful to the birds. > >I know it's popular to assume that every food additive is harmful, but >do you have a real source that backs up this statement. I have a book, >written by a vet, that recommends food coloring as an attractant. Of >course, if your feeder is red, you don't need it anyway. It probably isn't particularly harmful, but it certainly is unneccessary, so why do it? Just about any hummingbird feeder has a red tip on the feeder tube, and a hummingbird will be attracted to it. If you have a feeder without a red tip, just paint the tip with red nail polish (while the feeder is clean and dry, of course). You can make a waterer for a guinea pig or rat cage do the job just fine by painting the tip of the tube red. It works best to paint about a quarter of an inch on the inside of the tube, too. -lar "the only way boss Lar Kaufman <= my opinions to keep hope in the world is to keep changing its population frequently" kaufman@Encore.com
mjm@oliven.olivetti.com (Michael Mammoser) (05/04/89)
In article <8306@ihlpf.ATT.COM>, jimf@ihlpf.ATT.COM (YES) writes: > > When do hummingbirds show up in northern Illinois? Probably early to mid April. They should remain until about early to mid October. Mike
kan@ihlpb.ATT.COM (Casali) (05/06/89)
In article <41369@oliveb.olivetti.com>, mjm@oliven.olivetti.com (Michael Mammoser) writes: > In article <8306@ihlpf.ATT.COM>, jimf@ihlpf.ATT.COM (YES) writes: > > > > When do hummingbirds show up in northern Illinois? > > Probably early to mid April. They should remain until about > early to mid October. > > Mike Wrong, They dont show up at the feeders until Memorial Day. They disappear mid September. They must not be able to take the cold nights. When I first fed them I thought that I might wrongly encourge them to stay if I did not remove the feeder. They were smarter than that and just disappeared one September day. Kathy
mjm@oliven.olivetti.com (Michael Mammoser) (05/09/89)
In article <10423@ihlpb.ATT.COM>, kan@ihlpb.ATT.COM (Casali) writes: > > > > > > When do hummingbirds show up in northern Illinois? > > > > Probably early to mid April. They should remain until about > > early to mid October. > > > > Mike > > Wrong, > They dont show up at the feeders until Memorial Day. > They disappear mid September. They must not be > able to take the cold nights. When I first fed them > I thought that I might wrongly encourge them to > stay if I did not remove the feeder. They were > smarter than that and just disappeared one September day. The intent of my posting was to indicate the extremes of the time frame in which to expect appearances of the Ruby Throated Hummingbird in the northern half of Illinois. I derived this range from the following references: Tyrell, "Hummingbirds, Their Life and Behavior" "Arrives in Alabama in late March, Long Island in mid April, Washington, D.C. in mid April, New York in late April, Connecticut and Massachusetts in early May, New Hampshire and Maine in early May, Quebec and Montreal in late April to early May, and Manitoba and Saskatchewan in mid May." "Leaves Manitoba in mid September, Iowa in early October, Illinois in mid October, Tennessee in late October, and Louisiana in early November." Bent, "Life Histories of North American ..., Hummingbirds and Their Allies" (choosing sightings from cities that are on a latitude that is equivalent or greater than northern Illinois and that represent the extreme.) Spring - early arrivals Philadelphia, Penn. April 16 Fort Wayne, Ind. April 14 Detroit, Mich. April 28 Toronto, Can. April 12 Minneapolis, Minn. May 1 Fall - late departures National, Iowa October 4 Keokuk, Iowa October 23 Detroit, Mich. October 7 Fort Wayne, Ind. October 9 Chicago, Ill. October 13 Philadelphia, Penn. October 12 Based on the cited references, I have no problems with the date ranges given (perhaps the early date should have been mid to late April). However, one certainly shouldn't expect to see birds with any degree of abundance at these extremes. I can't argue with your dates from feeder watching; however, perhaps a word of caution about feeder watching is in order. From Bird Watcher's Digest, May/June 1989; from an article that discusses declines in hummingbird populations based on feeder watching: "Here are some caveats against assuming that all apparent decreases in hummer populations are examples of a real decline: As we have often pointed out, hummers will desert feeding stations whenever favored nectar sources are staging a mass bloom - and in some years certain bloomings are more successful than in others. If a mass bloom is in progress when the birds arrive from the South, they may not at first use feeding stations at all, giving the impression to feeder watchers that they have not yet arrived." Mike
GC.SUL@forsythe.stanford.edu (Sullivan) (07/14/89)
Regarding hummingbird nectar, please, the only thing you should be putting in the feeders is a mixture of 1 part ordinary sugar to 4 parts water. A higher concentration of sugar will cause liver and reproductive problems. This most closely approximates the sugar concentrtion found in flower nectar and both are sucrose sugar. Make sure the sugar dissolves entirely and refrigerate the unused portion. Make sure the feeder is cleaned twice weekly and the nectar changed and keep the feeder in the shade. NEVER put honey in a feeder because not only is the sugar content far too high, but honey is a more complex sugar and spoils very quickly. I hate to sound bossy about this but it HAS been researched and deviations on sugar proportions, etc, can be deadly to hummingbirds with their high metabolisms. No red food color should be added-again it is not good for them. If your feeder does not have red on it (to attract them over), you can add some with red nail polish. And, don't forget, the best thing to do is to plant flowers that attract then in addition to the feeders Karen Sullivan Hummingbird Gardens Nursery Oh yes, homemade feeders are fine