hummingbirds and hummingbird feeders

[L Gilbert]

I suppose i'm more likely to see them in the morning? it's 7:25pm here so probably too late?

Mornings and evenings. Daytime is usually too warm for them to expend a lotta energy flying.

 

[hermanntrude]

brilliant link, thanks. That's just the kind of thing i was looking for.

 

[hermanntrude]

seems i'm about a month too early. I'll take the feeders back in i think so i dont look silly

 

[hermanntrude]

deleted. Already posted by #Juan. Damn you

 

[#juan]

I was just going to say that you were probably a bit early. Your hummingbirds might not show until the middle or even the latter part of May. Not to worry, When they do show, they'll keep you busy filling that feeder. Our main feeder holds about two cups of nectar(sugar water)and during the peak time they empty it in about a day and a half.

 

[hermanntrude]

they appear to be heading back south now. must have forgotten to turn off the stove.

 

[L Gilbert]

Yep. Nice stuff. I'll stick to something more natural and has actual nutrients, thanks, and so will my birds.

http://www.nexusmagazine.com/articles/sugarblues.html
http://life.familyeducation.com/nutrition-and-diet/foods/36008.html
http://www.soul-guidance.com/health/whitesugar.htm

 

[hermanntrude]

hmm. the article (after only a breif scanning) seems to be overstating it's case. but it's true that the refined sugar is devoid of nutrient and provides only energy. But various websites state that the humminbirds only drink nectar to provide energy in order to catch their main food-source, ie insects.

 

[L Gilbert]

Could be, but refined sugar doesn't normally occur in nature. That's why I mentioned the "natural" part. It has worked for thousands of years for them to be using natural sugars with the nutrients in it: so if it works, why "fix" it?
Seems to me that damned near everytime we deviate from the natural, something screwy happens down the road somewhere.

 

[hermanntrude]

the danger in "fixing it" seems to be in that honey and unrefined sugar spoils much faster, and the products of the spilage can harm the birds. Although I also read that hummingbirds can easily detect when a source is "off" and would rather starve to death than drink it. But then they won't come back even after you've cleaned your feeder...

seems like it's a moot point, provided the feeder is well-cleaned regularly.

 

[#juan]

White sugar, is 99.9 percent sucrose. You can't get much more natural than that. The nectar from honeysuckles is sucrose and water. White sugar is closest to their natural energy source.

What Are the Various Forms of Sugars?
Sucrose
More commonly known as white, refined table sugar, it comes from sugar cane, sugar beets, and sugar maples, and is the most widely used form of sugar. The following is a list of products in the sucrose family:4
White sugar 99.9 percent sucrose Turbinado sugar 99 percent sucrose Brown sugar 96 percent sucrose Maple sugar 95-98 percent sucrose Maple syrup 65 percent sucrose Molasses
50-70 percent sucrose

 

[L Gilbert]

the danger in "fixing it" seems to be in that honey and unrefined sugar spoils much faster, and the products of the spilage can harm the birds. Although I also read that hummingbirds can easily detect when a source is "off" and would rather starve to death than drink it. But then they won't come back even after you've cleaned your feeder...
seems like it's a moot point, provided the feeder is well-cleaned regularly.

Like I've said, the little buggers keep coming back. They even use the same places to build their nests.
Um, it's not really a point that I was trying to make. It was just info I was feeding into the thread. Juan seems to have been the one trying to make a point: specifically that refined sugar is better than the natural stuff. I simply disagree as the stuff that occurs naturally still has the added benefits of vitamins and minerals.

 

[hermanntrude]

yeah I'd say it seems pretty even between the two, except in the hands of retards who let their honey/water solutions go frothy. seems like whatever you do works well. I dont use white sugar so i'll probably just use the light brown stuff I have and hope I dont give them bird-herpes

 

[L Gilbert]

White sugar, is 99.9 percent sucrose. You can't get much more natural than that. The nectar from honeysuckles is sucrose and water. White sugar is closest to their natural energy source.

:roll: Refined sugar is as much natural as maraschino cherries.

What Are the Various Forms of Sugars?

Sucrose
More commonly known as white, refined table sugar, it comes from sugar cane, sugar beets, and sugar maples, and is the most widely used form of sugar. The following is a list of products in the sucrose family:4
White sugar 99.9 percent sucrose Turbinado sugar 99 percent sucrose Brown sugar 96 percent sucrose Maple sugar 95-98 percent sucrose Maple syrup 65 percent sucrose Molasses
50-70 percent sucrose

I'm thrilled, but I read all that before. I don't give a hoot if 99.9999999999999% of every species on the planet uses it. I will feed my birds honey (when I run out, demerara) because it more closely resembles what they get in the wild. I refuse to fix what already works and has worked since hummingbirds became hummingbirds.
http://www.bb.iastate.edu/necgex/Nectar.htm

 

[#juan]

Feed your birds whatever you want L.G.. Btw, The molasses that is in brown sugar is not natural and not found in the wild any place where hummingbirds are.