Hummer News – Vol. 10 – June 2010

Mr. Clockwork

It seems like each year, after a May appearance, for a little while, our hummers disappear, more or less, until late June or early July. After that until late September or early October visits and activity are pretty regular. Don’t really know why that is true, since another Foto Feeder™ user here in town has had regular visits throughout. Thankfully, my quiet period seems to have ended three or four days ago, with ample appearances throughout the day.


Fortunately, I had one handsome male, with prominent scarlet neck band always visible, that showed up every day, even when there were no other visitors. The really interesting thing about him was his incredibly consistent time of arrival, every evening just about five minutes before it got too dark to see him at the window. As the sunset became later, he would adjust by as many minutes, so that it would literally be possible to set your watch by his appearance. He’s probably around at dusk too, but I’m not most days.


Mister Update


I have never received as many responses to any Hummer News topic as I did about the use of misters and the way all our birds love them, including the hummers. Just two days ago, during about three warm afternoon hours, I observed robins, catbirds, blue jays, titmice, downy woodpeckers, goldfinches, chickadees, cardinals, sparrows and hummers spend time in the mister, most long enough to thoroughly shower, drink from leaves and fluff up.


Several of you asked for places to buy a mister, so I did a little research for places that sell them. Here are some links you can try:


Here are some links:


http://www.duncraft.com/Super-Easy-Water-Mister--P2742C0.aspx  - Duncraft


http://www.wildbirdsforever.com/access.html  - Wild Birds Forever

http://www.shopwbu.com/products/productdetail/part_number=1516/567.0.1.1  – Wild Birds Unlimited (where I got my misters).


Use the lowest pressure that will just start the mist and make sure it hits some leaves nearby to form the drips your visitors will love to drink or rub their faces in. If the drips can finally fall into a birdbath, you will have an interesting and active water feature for your birds and for your viewing enjoyment.

I hope you will share any experience you have with your misters.


Nectar Refresher


As there are almost always questions about nectar recipes, so let me review some things on that topic. First, I use pure, refined white sugar only without color or additives. I do not boil my water first as any sterility that is gained by wasting time and energy on boiling will be lost the instant your first hummer feeds because of the natural bacteria they carry on their tongues and beaks. Honey contains bacteria and raw sugar contains high levels of iron that are harmful. Red coloring is controversial with many claims of causing harm to hummers being made, so I decline to use it to be on the safe side. Snopes, which is pretty good, in my experience, at getting to the bottom of and de-bunking urban legends and other questionable “facts” state that the validity of the concern is undetermined here:


http://www.snopes.com/critters/wild/reddye.asp


Since I’ve never heard anything negative about pure, white refined sugar and it is cheaper and easier to mix, it seems an easy choice to me. I put one cup of sugar in a one quart glass measuring cup. I run my tap water to its hottest temperature and then run a thin trickle into the sugar, mixing briskly from the very beginning with a long handled spoon, up to the full quart. I have never failed to dissolve the full cup of sugar, though even if there were some crystals left un-dissolved in the bottom, that doesn’t harm anything. Extra nectar keeps quite a while in a tightly closed container in the fridge.


Blog Additions


You continue to contribute wonderful links for the blog and I need to get some more up soon, including a magnificent PBS Nature episode devoted to hummers – check in often, as I will add things as often as I can and always welcome you to do the same


Find the blog here: http://hummerhaven.blogspot.com/


Happy Hummer Summer everyone!!


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