Re: Hummingbird Feeder
Greetings, Paul.
There is no doubt that feeders cause some problems but I
think they do increase the survival rate. When the early
birds arrive here in March, it is often before the red
flowering currant is out (their main early food source here)
and before much else is available. By the time the main
wave of birds appears, the currant is in full bloom as
nature intended.
Many birds arrived early two years ago after the
El Nino storms down south drove them out ahead of schedule.
I have about 200 locations reporting to me as we track their
return to Vancouver Island and time and again, the birds
will go directly to where the feeder hung last year, whether
it is there or not.
Something they appreciate in my garden is an old-fashioned
early columbine from several generations of my family's
gardens - I keep looking for a proper name for it but have
never seen it in my extensive botanical library - we call it
Grannies' Bonnets. It is self-seeded everywhere in white,
pink, lilac and purple - kind of dumpy almost double
flowers. They just love it to start the season off with
(later, I love the mounds of turquoise foliage). All of the
many fuschias later are their number-one favourites.
Someone mentioned roses - it is usually an immature bird
that approaches a rose, from all directions, trying to find
some nectar - there is none! They are attracted by some
flowers and check to see if they have nectar. I have a
climbing red rose, "Blaze", that stretches up through a
25-foot Magnolia grandiflora. It blooms as the first
fledgings appear and fools them every year.
Hummingbirds will take advantage of feeders for various
reasons in a well-stocked garden but never feed exclusively
from the feeders. The males guard feeders, not as a food
source, but because they attract the females who return a
week or two later than the males. The females use them as a
quick supply of energy while gathering insects for the young
nestlings who need protein to grow - good reason to attend
to the feeder during nesting. To stop filling it at this
time would be akin to closing the grocery store just after
your house is built! Immatures find feeders a ready source
of food on the hazardous first days on their own.
Hummingbirds don't feed exclusively from feeders at
any time.
I do believe, as Paul says, that feeders that are not placed
strategically do increase aggressiveness in the males. It
is a good idea to make sure that feeders are out of
birds-eye view of each other. The other point is that no
matter how well-stocked your garden is or how many feeders
you have, nothing stops these little birds from starting out
on their solitary journeys southward again - it is not
necessary to wean them by removing feeders (or cutting
flowers?).
Many of our beneficial garden insects are tiny, like
parasitic wasps, syrphid flies etc., so tiny-flowered plants
like thyme, mints, dill, Queen Anne's lace, assure a healthy
population of them. Tiny flying insects are also food for
tiny birds. When you see the hummingbirds flying across
your garden in an erratic fashion, they are catching them on
the wing.
In Mediterranean climates, splashing water or fine spray
during the hot, dry period is most appreciated for bathing
and reduction of mites - unless you have a large open body
of fresh water nearby where hummingbirds can skim the
surface without breaking their flight. (They don't go in
birdbaths.)
I leave the 5-6 foot stalks of the autumn-flowering Anemones
right outside the window by my computer. The seedheads are
protected under the eave from winter rains and remain round
pom-poms until spring, when they burst and spill out masses
of soft white puffs of down. I can then enjoy watching the
females gathering the down to line their nests, giving me a
more accurate timing on nesting and fledging, second
nestings,etc. They even know to tear open a tight seedhead
to make the down puff out of it.
Well, I guess this is enough on hummingbirds!
Diane Pertson
Vancouver Island
----- Original Message -----
From: "Paul Harrar" <paul@nevco.k12.ca.us>
> I grew up feeding hummingbirds in the S.F. Bay Area and
continued doing
> it here in the Sierra Foothills until two years ago. It
was fun. In
> recent years, however, I have been increasingly aware of
the hummingbird
> health/nutrition problems Diane has discussed - using
various bad sweet
> substances and not having sterile feeders, etc. These
issues, combined
> with my observations that feeders seemed to increase
aggressive behavior
> (fighting), has led me to stop feeding hummingbirds in
feeders and to
> plant more hummingbird-friendly plants. As much as a
feeder can help
> these exquisite birds with their substantial caloric needs
and provide a
> fun, convenient, way of observing hummingbirds, I've
concluded that
> people who have hummingbird feeders are like park visitors
who feed
> bears or chipmunks. It's an artificial act of nature
orchestrated for
> human benefit, more than animal benefit. The longterm
consequences of
> feeding wild animals can be distressing, but we generally
don't know
> about these consequences. Since we can't easily keep track
of individual
> magratory animals, ignorance is bliss...
>
> So, since this is a Medit-Plant discussion group, I'd like
to encourage
> listers to gradually abandon their feeders and grow
hummingbird-friendly
> plants. You probably are doing the latter already. I think
Diane hinted
> that feeders are problematic, but I strongly feel we need
to be more
> responsible about our "care" of wild birds. With lots of
mint family
> plants and native plants in my garden, I have just as many
hummingbirds
> as when the feeder was hanging nearby. With many more
places to poke
> their tiny tongues, there seems to be more cooperation and
patience and
> less fighting. (Hummingbird fighting can be quite
vicious.) There's less
> sticky mess on my window and deck and fewer insect
problems. I don't
> have to worry about bacterial issues or weening them off
in the early
> winter (so they fly to warmer climes). And, maybe most
importantly, I'm
> observing the birds in their habitat and noticing all
kinds of behaviors
> not seen at the feeder, like hummingbirds chasing bees
away from flowers
> and standoffs with praying mantises, etc.
>
> Why don't we discuss our favorite "hummingbird magnet"
plants instead of
> sugar recipes? Just trying to be environmentally
responsible...
>
> Paul Harrar
> Nevada City, California
> Sunset Zone 7
> 2,700 ft.
>
>
>
> Diane wrote:
>
> > Karen,
> >
> > NOTHING but boiled white granulated sugar and water
should
> > be provided in feeders. The Koolaid contains food
colouring
> > (at the least) and the chemicals that constitute the
> > artificial flavouring. In such a tiny creature, one can
> > only marvel that they can fly away after consuming it.
> > White sugar in a 20-25% solution most nearly duplicates
the
> > nectar of flowers. Flower nectar is colourless and does
not
> > contain chemicals or other sugars besides glucose
although
> > it may contain proteins from insects and pollen.
> >
> > There is a farm near here that uses blueberry pancake
syprup
> > in their feeders - "the birds love it" they say. I
think
> > blueberry pancake syrup is probably entirely
artificial - if
> > it contains blueberries, the sugar would be fructose,
not
> > the glucose these birds require. When you realize that
> > hummingbirds can only sustain their high-energy output
for a
> > maximum of 12-15 minutes without feeding, the feeders
draw
> > them like moths to a flame. They eat other things as
well
> > like small flying insects and tree sap.
> >
> > Banding of birds here after their journey from Central
> > America to Vancouver Island and as far north as Alaska,
and
> > again being caught and studied after their return south,
is
> > showing some detrimental effects from what human beings
put
> > in all those feeders along the way. Granted, the
feeders do
> > increase the survival rate of these little birds but
studies
> > are showing infertility and hardening of the liver.
> >
> > Please tell everyone you can that ONLY white granulated
> > sugar and water (boiled) in scrupulously clean feeders
is
> > the only acceptable substitute for flower nectar and the
> > well-being of these birds.
> >
> > Diane Pertson
> >
> > Subject: Re: Hummingbird Feeder
> >
> > > My uncle has lived in the Adirondack National Park
forest
> > preserve in upstate
> > > New York since the 60's and has always provided a
Koolaid
> > (Hawaian Punch flavor)
> > > stand for his hummingbirds. I suppose it resembles a
> > hamster water tube. The
> > > birds flit in and out in seconds to drink the "dew.'
Do
> > you have some
> > > information as to why this shouldn't be done? Is the
> > sugar harmful? The
> > > hummingbirds seem to love it.
> > > Karen Vavourakis
> > >
>
