I'm sure I can't be the only one who's noticed how feeding h'birds has become such a popular fad over the past few years. Back when I first started feeding them (I'm dating myself here, but that was about 20 years ago), you couldn't find a h'bird feeder in a retail store to save your soul -- you always had to order it from some kind of mail order catalog. Nowadays, they sell h'bird feeders everywhere. I've even seen them hanging on the shelves in grocery stores!

It all seemed to reach a peak (I hope) last year. At my local Walmart last spring, they were selling at least 10-12 different kinds of h'bird feeders. (This year though they only had about 3-4 different kinds.) Whenever I would drive down the road last year, it seemed like every other house had some kind of h'bird feeder hanging out (and 99% of them were always filled with that noxious commercial red liquid!) Man, it was so tempting to drive down the road with a BB gun in hand and shoot out all the ones like that, to watch that awful red liquid go splattering against the house like a scene from the Stephen King movie "Carrie"...!

I even noticed that some people seemed to be using them as simple lawn ornaments, hanging from a short little hook in the middle of their yard, with nary a single flower of any color to be seen anywhere. And the few people I talked to about it were usually griping and complaining about "what a waste of money" their feeder had been since they hadn't seen one single bird yet. When I asked how often they had been changing the liquid in their feeder, they looked at me like I was crazy. And of course, most of them just rolled their eyes whenever I'd try to explain the dangers of red dye... (Like, how could a moron like me know more than the big companies that sell at Walmart...! Ummm, hello?!)

In any case, so far this spring, I've noticed that fewer houses seem to have h'bird feeders hanging out, so I'm hoping that the fewer number of feeders for sale at Walmart is an indication that the general public has gotten bored with their latest fad. At least I hope so, since that will mean better results for people like us who really do care about the birds and their welfare.

Has anyone else noticed anything like this in your neighborhood(s)...?



Bill McClure
Zone 6A

Bill,

OMG! Can I relate! We've had several people approach us about all our feeders on our porch in the spring when we 1st put them out...the mailman, newspaper deliverer, UPS driver, FED EX driver, neighbors down the street, etc.
When they ask questions like, "What is in the feeders?", a few of them said they actually just put plain water in!!!!! One of them uses Karo Syrup and just add water to dilute it...Geeeesssshhhh...and most admit to not changing/cleaning the feeders. When I explain my routine, they think I've lost my marbles, so I wind up answering questions for nothing...
Initially it was quite maddening to me, not being able to get through their thick skulls of all of the important facts about feeding hummers...but as my husband tells me..."Just let it go...we can't control what others do"...
Big Frustrating Sigh......
So my final thought is, I believe that before someone buys a hummer feeder, they should be required to take a coarse on proper hummer feeding...(That's just my 2 cents and MHO)

Susan Louise
from Branford CT/ live in Lincoln NE
Zone 5

Maryjane,

I'm all for that...but in my experience of the many people I've talked to locally don't seem to take the "routine" of feeding the hummers seriously. I'm certainly not saying that's the case for all newbies to the world of hummers, but at least that has been our experience.
Also, not everyone who buys a hummer feeder has endless amounts of patience for going through the routine of cleaning and refilling feeders for no hummers for long stretches of time. I know myself I had wanted to give up on many occassions.
I know I've tried my best to share the wonderful world of hummers with others, but I'm not taken very seriously.
Many people that feed birds seed are accustomed to getting near instant gratification with having birds come to seed/suet feeders and sometimes expect the same with hummer feeders and get discouraged early...which is probably what has happened to the lack of sales of hummer feeders Bill mentioned. That's my guess...

Susan Louise
from Branford CT/ live in Lincoln NE
Zone 5

I always see lots of feeders hung up - filled to the brim with bright red solution in them - and they rarely get changed or even dumped. I stopped telling people what to do because most people will reply with these dumb answers:

1) "If they sell hummingbird food with red coloring in it, it must be OK. Besides they like it better."

2) "We have to change the solution every few days? I just filled it with all that solution! I'm not dumping it until they drink it!"

As for Item 1, red food coloring is unnecessary and might be dangerous - it gets banned for human consumption periodically - so imagine how much hummingbirds consume, proportionally. So why take the chance? It boggles my mind when people think just because they sell it, it's "safe"! To me, when I see colored solutions, it tells me either the people don't have a clue, they just plain don't care, or they are too lazy to make their own sugar and water solution - and in most cases, it's some of all three reasons. To say they like it better, is kind of ridiculous. Hummingbirds like sugar and the relative sweetness, period. But even if they did like red solutions more, is it morally justified to risk hurting them from the food coloring just so you could see more hummers? Bears love marshmellows - so should zoos feed them marshmellows all the time because they like them better than some other foods they should eat?

As for Item 2, you have to be pretty dumb not to realize any food left in the sun for days and days goes bad - but, if they are that stupid, their dirty feeders will just drive the business to my clean feeders!

Wilmington, Delaware
USDA zone 7a
Heat zone 6
Sunset zone 32

I have seen a total of 6 homes with hummingbird feeders on my dogwalking route, which covers a fair amount of our neighborhood. They are filled with clear nectar and seem to be well maintained. Some of the homes have gardens too, though none as crazy as mine.I'm assuming these folks get hummers since they were living here before we moved in. The more the merrier!

Priya
Zone 7, Maryland

It seems there's definitely something up with WM not carrying the 97cent feeders this year and Lowe's selling them 2 for $7 something! We made them too popular, sang their praises too much or something. But it really pisses me off!!!

Diana
Upstate SC
Zone 7b

Twenty years ago I bought my first home. I had a front porch and really wanted a hummingbird feeder. I went to the only pet store/feed store in town and bought a Droll Yankees small feeder. They explained I didn't have to fill it completely full and would be able to see the hummer from any side. They also told me never to use store bought formula with red dye, or I'm sure I would not have known! They gave me the formula, which was also on the bottom of the feeder. I had hummers the first year! I left up my feeder until October, when my mother told me the hummers wouldn't migrate as they needed to if they still had food. That scared me to death, and she later told me that one of her friends told her that was a myth. :::sigh of relief:::

The last few summers I've noticed that one of my neighbors had a feeder in her front yard with red solution in the feeder. I don't know her and never see her in her yard. I debated about knocking on her door but didn't.

Last year another neighbor stopped and asked me about my feeders. She had just bought a feeder and was having trouble attracting hummers. I told her not to use the store bought solution. She was using it and thought it was better since it had added "vitamins." She immediately stopped. I told her to change the solution twice a week as it warmed up. She thought you left it in until they drank it all. She immediately started doing what I told her to and they came. Interestingly, around the same time I also noticed that my other neighbor (the one I never saw but used red solution) started using clear solution. I had the feeling that the neighbor I spoke with must have told her what I said!

Anyway, that is my experience. Twenty years ago there was no internet--at least not at my house. I've always been the type to go overboard in the research dept. though. I inherited this trait from my dad.

Carol

Carol R
Tennessee
USDA Hardiness Zone 7
Heat Zone 7

Thanks for sharing Carol. glad to hear of positive results of passing the word...so to speak. I wish all experiences were like that..

Susan Louise
from Branford CT/ live in Lincoln NE
Zone 5

Just to clarify, my post above was just grumbling to you guys - I assumed I was "singing to the choir"! I didn't mean to sound all negative and hostile! If anyone took it that way. I just meant after all the information out there - books, videos , web sites, and things like this forum - some people still don't know any better - and I blame companies selling hummingbird products for not being more responsible.

For example - selling "hummingbird nectar mix" at all, is at best something of a "gimmick" by these companies. Hummingbirds only need plain white sugar and water in their feeders. But to make money, these companies persist in adding things, like coloring - vitamins - flavors, to make it seem like their product has more "value". Otherwise, if it was just sugar and water, we would literally see right through it !!! And this is the kind of thing I was grumbling about - and then when you add in the fact that red coloring may actually be bad for the birds, it's borderline unethical! We have a right to grumble!

But I was aiming my grumbling more at the businesses and the situation they create with their products - not at individuals that don't know any better - if anything they are the victims of these outfits that make money off hummingbirds and who, in my opinion, should be more responsible with what they sell!


Wilmington, Delaware
USDA zone 7a
Heat zone 6
Sunset zone 32

I am enjoying this thread.

Dianne
Southeast Alabama
Heat Zone 8
Sunset Zone 31

I am not surprised to see the red solution at the big box stores. It is irritating to see the chain pet stores push these products. I don't blame the buyers. After all not everyone does as much research as we do and most people are well-meaning, just wanting to see a hummingbird.It would be better if the red stuff was not sold at all.Another way to make a quick buck..

Priya
Zone 7, Maryland

Priya,

I'd be totally happy if the manufacturers of hummingbird feeders just put a little paragraph in their insert that said something like:

"We stopped selling hummingbird food because of concerns about red food coloring. Make your own solution with one part white cane sugar and four parts water. Do not add coloring or anything else. The red color of the feeder itself will attract hummingbirds."

My little feeder, purchased from Wild Birds Unlimited, actually says something like that under the lid !!!



Wilmington, Delaware
USDA zone 7a
Heat zone 6
Sunset zone 32

Unfortunately, Woodstream Corp., which has bought up/acquired many of the major brands of hummingbird feeders, including Perky Pet, Opus/Gardensong, Avant Garden, and Birdscapes, also produces nectar mix. Although they do not control 100% of the feeder market, they have a significant portion, so they would be unlikely to harm their sales of nectar mix with such a statement included in the feeders.

The same appears to be true of whoever makes Lowes' line of feeders - there is a matching nectar mix of the same brand available in the stores.

Specialty bird feeding stores generally don't carry nectar mix and will caution against it. I've found that also to be true of hardware stores, etc. who understand hummingbirds. Otherwise, the rule of thumb I see is where there are feeders, there's nectar mix.

Kevin Morgan
Baton Rouge LA

Kevin - that's discouraging news! And unfortunately, the more they sell nectar, the more the general public assumes it's (got to be) OK....

Wilmington, Delaware
USDA zone 7a
Heat zone 6
Sunset zone 32

If enough people would protest by writing to Perky Pet and quit buying their feeders until they quit making the red nectar they might stop. This week I was in WBU and noticed they sell a clear nectar mix now. That's stupid, too, really, as it's no more trouble to make it with sugar than to make it with a mix. It is just another way to make money.

Carol

Carol R
Tennessee
USDA Hardiness Zone 7
Heat Zone 7

"Respond with kindness and Hummingbird love"

I try to reread my post, edit if need be and THAN click it. We all have off days, myself included.

This spring when I sold some HB plants, I sold $.99 feeder for cost ($2) and rolled up a note explaining the nectar recipe. I also informed everyone that came to my sale about not using the red dye, most had NO IDEA and were very surprised. The manufactures should have a responsibility.



Pam NJ 6B

Yeah, I'd noticed that Perky Pet always shows their feeders filled to the brim with bright red solution in all their ads and photos on their product boxes, etc. That makes me echo your choice of the word "unethical", Ron.

Why does it always come down to a quick buck?

Bill McClure
Zone 6A

I would also like to add that reputable companies that manufacture hummingbird feeders/products are not the sole problem to individuals that choose to feed hummingbirds. When does it become the responsibility of the purchaser? There are many ignorant people that choose not to change/clean their feeders, or use proper "juice"...even after being well informed...to which I've been brought up with my parents making the simple comment..."ignorance must be bliss"...period. I am on the side of people taking the responsibility on themselves, to do their homework. Unfortunately, many don't do this...and it's quite sad.

Susan Louise
from Branford CT/ live in Lincoln NE
Zone 5

Not only should we choose our words carefully when we WRITE a post, but I also think that we should all be careful when we READ a post that we not assume too much about intent. It's easy to think someone's being nasty, but most of the time, I think the intent of people on this forum has been good. I've also seen a a "kill the messenger" mentality pop up, on occasion, when someone talks about something unpleasant, but is not necessarily trying to offend anyone. I've also seen attempts at humor get misread and people can get quite upset. It can be hard to tell what lies behind someone's words. Those of us who are prone to get upset (like me!) should try to take a deep breath when we think we're being insulted, or offended by someone's attitude, and ask ourselves if that is really the intent of the person, and try to give them the benefit of the doubt. Of course, we should also think about what we write and how it might be misread. Easy to say, I know, but not always easy to do. Then again, I guess it's inevitable that these sorts of misunderstandings will arise.

I do wish we could talk about sensitive issues, and ones with serious or controversial content, without upsetting each other. We seem to have a lot of trouble with that. Otherwise, it just becomes a bland forum of pleasantries. Don't get me wrong, I totally enjoy the cheerful, happy, non controversial stuff, but does disagreement have to be totally avoided? Disagreement should not necessarily equal offense.

As for the feeder issue, I do think that nature/outdoors products have become more common in recent years. I think it's mostly a good thing, but it does have the side effect of attracting people who don't know what they're doing. I've encountered a few folks who use the red stuff and can't be talked out of it. As someone who sells feeders, I've also found people who were very easy to turn around. I tell them the red stuff will stain my feeders, and also that it's almost surely bad for the birds and is unnecessary. On a positive note, my neighbor two doors up, asked my advice a couple years ago when he got a hummingbird feeder as a present. He was all ready to use the red stuff, but when I told him not to, he listened, and I've seen nothing but nice, clean, clear solution in his feeders. "My" hummingbirds have become "our" hummingbirds, and it gives me a nice feeling to see them zipping back and forth between our yards.

Speaking of Woodstream buying out brands of feeders, I was approached by them last fall about marketing my feeders. They had seen them on Etsy and on this forum. When the financial crisis hit, everything went on hold. It saved me a dilemma regarding their policy on red dye. At the risk of nixing the deal, I was willing to put my foot down and tell them that their red dye was not to be used in my feeders if they developed them. I didn't think I had the leverage to try to get them to stop, entirely, but at least that instructions would say to use only clear solutions with my line of feeders. So, I can personally attest to the fact that they read this forum and must
understand our views about red dye. I only wish they would listen!

Speaking of offending people, I hope Woodstream doesn't read what I've written here and get offended. Then again, if they're that easily offended, I probably shouldn't be entering into a business arrangement with them.

Sorry about the long post, but I had a lot to say!

Great post Kristin...

Susan Louise
from Branford CT/ live in Lincoln NE
Zone 5

In my neighborhood which is sort of a new development, no one put out hummer feeders till long after I started and now several do , but I have seen only one home ever changing the liquid. I do think some in this neighborhood wouldnt change them untill they are empty, thats their choice. Usually during migration I get quite a few hummers here and I have been asked how I do it and I tell when IM asked , but I dont volunteer I feel thats being a bit nosy. Also no one around her hummer gardens . People put flowers out but more of a permanent kind and not anything that I would think would draw hummers, but what do I know Im still learning.

Steve
Martinsville, In
Heat zone 6
Sunset zone 35

Just read a post over on GW about a guy who feeds his hummers red Hawaiian Punch. Yep, you read right.

"To the uneducated, an A is just three sticks." A. A. Milne



Zone 7B
North Carolina Piedmont

Matt, I sure hope that you set him straigt on the Hawaiian punch. I am hearing all sorts of crazy concoctions this year. If this keeps up there will be no hummers anywhere for anyone to enjoy.

Penny
Niagara Falls, NY
USDA zone 6a/6b
Heat zone 4
Sunset zone 39

Ron and others: I know it's annoying to tell people stuff and them ignore you, been there, but it really is doing a service. I'd have to think that those who you talk to who don't really want to make a committment to what they are doing will be encouraged to give up sooner. Therfore the hummers would win. Feeders with stagnant rotten nectar will eventually be taken down so they can't get to the rot. I think there will likely be a handful for whom maybe the info won't really click for awhile. Hopefully by then they will be so enchanted with the hummers they will start really caring.
And, naturally there is always going to be fools. (I'm reminded of a comment I heard from a ranger in Yellowstone one year. He said the single dumbest thing he had ever heard occurred one year when he stopped a family that was starting to walk across a field toward a bull buffalo. He explained to them that this was very dangerous. And they argued with him! "Oh come on, these aren't really wild animals....if they were there would be a moat around them or something".) Can't do nothing about just plain stupid!
dell

LOL! Hey Dell, love the story about the buffalo fools! I bet they showed up later that year in the Darwin awards, didn't they?!

Bill McClure
Zone 6A

Hello Dell,

Have Mercy! Good Grief!!!
I'm chiming in with Penny...Thanks for sharing that story!!!
Reminds me of that comedian Bill Engvall that has the saying..."Here's your sign"...

Susan Louise
from Branford CT/ live in Lincoln NE
Zone 5

Want another story? We were talking to a guy up in Idaho who had worked in Yellowstone as a waiter one year when he was in college. He swears he walked up to a table in time to hear a conversation about "the wonderful animatronics job they've done with all the large animals in the park". I'm thinking he wasn't making it up because he still had a shell shocked look on his face. Said the thing that really got him was that there were 6 adults there and no one challenged the stupid comment! Aren't you feeling highly intelligent at this point?
dell

LOL! I bet those people were trying to find out where they could buy tickets to Jurassic Park too!

Bill McClure
Zone 6A

Last year, there was a man who was mauled by a mountain lion out here. He was hiking in the mountains and saw a den with a couple small cubs and thought they were cute, so we went up to pet them. Mom didn't like the intrusion.

Sometimes, you just have to let the "survival of the fittest" rule run its course.

As far as red dye in feeders, as long as people sell it there will be people buying it, and as long as there is money to be made there will be companies selling it. All we can do is continue to help educate people with interest and the others will come and go.

Hmmm... (farmer rubs his chin).... Someone should come up with a little pouch of sugar that can be sold as hummingbird nectar... just add water. Could probably be sold cheaper than the competition and it could be promoted as being safer than the others.

**********
Farmer Steve
Deluz, CA usda zone 10a

"Farmer Steve's SAFE and NATURAL Instant Hummingbird Food, Just Add Water". I think it's a winner!

Wilmington, Delaware
USDA zone 7a
Heat zone 6
Sunset zone 32

LOL Susan Louise! I was thinking the same thing as I was reading! "Here's your sign"!

Farmer Steve I think you have something! Where's Kristin!!!

Diana
Upstate SC
Zone 7b

Don't forget my royalties. I will help me support my hummingbird habit.

**********
Farmer Steve
Deluz, CA usda zone 10a

I think it is wonderful that more and more people are interested in hummers. However, they must be mindful and not put feeders 3 feet from the ground.. duh.. perfect trap for a cat. Also as others have said keep feeders clean and refill not with food coloring.

It is such a joyful day when they return and such a sad day when they leave. It is a joy to hear them in the morning outside our bedroom window at 5:00 am. and watch them get that last drop at 9:30. As with anything it takes commitment and as long as it is there the more the merrier!!

I have to admit that I am one of those who leaves a couple of feeders out all winter. I keep thinking I just might get a winter visitor.



Dianne
Southeast Alabama
Heat Zone 8
Sunset Zone 31

Well, Dianne, leaving a feeder out all winter down in southern Alabama is quite a different story than the folks I've seen who do that up here in the mountains of Virginia where it can far drop below zero during the winter. Never mind why they do it (just plain laziness I'm sure); how in the world do they keep the feeders from freezing and bursting at those temp's, that's what I wanna know!

Bill McClure
Zone 6A

Bill I think you will find there are others living well north of me who leave feeders out during the winter. In fact some have had hummingbirds using them. They use several different ways to keep them from freezing.

Just be careful before you past judgment on us crazies who don't take our feeders down at the end of migration.

Dianne
Southeast Alabama
Heat Zone 8
Sunset Zone 31

I firmly believe writing to PP will do no good they will do what they will do as long as there is a buck in it. That corp. cares little about what their mixes might do to the hummers and obviously people buy the stuff or they wouldnt be selling it. But just let everyone stop buying the red and see what happens. But believe or not this forum is helping by word of mouth if nothing else. Even the most casual hummer enthusiast happens across this forum and learns what they didnt know . I admit I was once one of those people who just didnt know. I saw my mother add the red as I was growing up , thought it was ok. All we can really do is spread the word, some will listen and believe and some wont.

Steve
Martinsville, In
Heat zone 6
Sunset zone 35

True Steve.

Question: Is the red colored food diluted in the hummingbird's system by the nectar that is gotten from flowers and the feeders with the sugar water mixture?

Dianne
Southeast Alabama
Heat Zone 8
Sunset Zone 31

Farmer Steve,

That mountain lion incident happened real close to me. It turns out the guy was making the whole thing up! He had fallen and didn't want to seem stupid. I think they started to suspect something when his wounds weren't consistent with a scratch or bite! I remember that clearly as my DD and I were driving in that area at the time and all the helicopters and police were around.

The things people do for attention!

Bill
With regards to leaving the feeders up after migration...I am guilty of doing that even here in NY. I haven't done it out of laziness though. Occasionally western vagrants (usually a Rufous) end up up north during the fall or early winter and there are quite a few people who will leave at least one feeder up just in case. Some people use heat lamps or heat tape to keep the nectar from freezing. I usually have to take my feeder down once the temps go down to 27 degrees. In Oct. of 2005 we did have a freak surprise snow storm and I did have a late migrant show up at my house right after the storm. She stayed here until I believe the 28th of Oct.

Penny
Niagara Falls, NY
USDA zone 6a/6b
Heat zone 4
Sunset zone 39

//quote: It turns out the guy was making the whole thing up! He had fallen and didn't want to seem stupid. I think they started to suspect something when his wounds weren't consistent with a scratch or bite!//endquote

Like going up to pet cubs wasn't as stupid as falling down? I'd hate to admit to how many times I fall down in these hills. Anyway, glad it was made up and thanks for setting the record straight.

**********
Farmer Steve
Deluz, CA usda zone 10a

Okay, okay, I didn't mean to offend anyone who leaves their feeders out in winter. I was talking about the people I've seen around here -- the ones who never take their feeders down, all year 'round, and they're still filled to the brim with red junk even in the darkest depths of January and February when the temperature can stay below zero for weeks at a time and there are a couple feet of snow on the ground. If there really are h'bird stragglers around here then, I'm sure they must be frozen solid to a tree branch somewhere and don't require much food then.

Bill McClure
Zone 6A

Dianne--- As to your question about the possible dilution of the red in a hummers system. A hummer being so tiny I doubt it. Personally I hate to see that red going into a hummers body, whether it be a lot or one tiny drop. How much nectar in fact does a hummer actually get from a flower in one sitting, would it equal one tiny drop , less,, more?

Steve
Martinsville, In
Heat zone 6
Sunset zone 35

Steve, I found a website that says a h'bird's "meal" consists of "a little less than 1/100 of a fluid ounce."

http://www.hummingbirds.net/hainsworth.html

I also found this site which shows how the red dye passes through the kidneys and into the urine. (Scroll down to Myth #11.)

http://www.hiltonpond.org/ThisWeek080715.html

Bill McClure
Zone 6A

Bill
Don't worry I wasn't offended by your comment on leaving feeders up during the winter months. In fact if I had had more time I would have elaborated a bit more on the subject in my last post. Yes a lot of people do in fact buy a feeder, fill it up to the brim with the red stuff and then leave it indefinitely. My next door neighbor is one of those people. Knowing that I grow plants and hang multiple feeders for the hummers, she decided to hang a feeder last summer. To my knowledge, that same feeder is still hanging. I can't see it right now that the shrubs have all leafed out (they are over 10ft. tall and a solid wall down the property line). It hung all summer, fall and winter and this spring. Was never taken down, never cleaned and never refilled. The one time I had the opportunity to see it up close, last fall, it was disgusting. and covered with black sooty mold. So yes there are people who are either too lazy or not at all open to learning what it takes to provide clean fresh nectar for the birds. It is very easy to provide just plants for them if people do not want to make the commitment to maintain a feeder properly.

Penny
Niagara Falls, NY
USDA zone 6a/6b
Heat zone 4
Sunset zone 39

I'm curious: Will a hummer know the nectar is bad and stop after a sip or will it drink no matter what?
I'm changing the nectar every other day just to be safe.

Priya
Zone 7, Maryland

Priya,
I am sure Nancy or Kenvin or someone will know the answer but I am guessing that it will start to ferment and take on a rancid takie maybe like if we take a drink of juice that has fermented past its expiration date. This is just a guess on my part.

Penny
Niagara Falls, NY
USDA zone 6a/6b
Heat zone 4
Sunset zone 39

Priya,

I've read many times that a hummer will not drink from sugar water that has gone bad.

Carol

Carol R
Tennessee
USDA Hardiness Zone 7
Heat Zone 7

Here is a quote from hummingbirds.net. It is under "Hummingbird feeders: Cleaning":

"Experts tell me that hummingbirds will starve rather than consume spoiled feeder syrup, so a dirty feeder isn't likely to cause harm. But it may cost you the pleasure of their company if they abandon your yard for more reliable food sources elsewhere."

Carol

Carol R
Tennessee
USDA Hardiness Zone 7
Heat Zone 7

In my experience, hummingbirds will indeed eat from feeders that appear to hold a lethal brew from lack of cleaning and poor management. In early January 2002, I banded 2 Broad-billed Hummingbirds in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Each had appeared around Christmas at feeders that had been allowed to hang after the last of the migrant Ruby-throateds departed. Neither host had any idea how long the birds had been using the yucky feeders, which were immediately cleaned and filled with fresh solution.

I am not qualified to assess how dangerous such filthy conditions are to hummers nor do I condone permitting feeders to 'crud over', but it happens all the time and I am not able to make sure everyone who purchases feeders is qualified to maintain them properly. Over the years, it has become clear to me that education goes much further than castigation, but still the majority of feeder owners aren't sufficiently motivated to keep the feeders clean and to take them down at the end of the season [if there is an end of the season].

Those who have spent any time down in Central and South America will recall visiting lodges and other facilities that have really grubby feeders. This situation seems to be the norm rather than the exception. Feeder maintenance is considerably more challenging in tropical climes than it is in our temperate zone. At many lodges, feeder care is usually left to poorly educated, poorly paid, and overworked help.

I meant to jump in on the original discussion of the fad, but was busy and preoccupied with another matter. That problem is now more or less solved and I may address it when I return from running some errands.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Nancy L Newfield
Casa Colibrí
Metairie, Louisiana USA
USDA Zone 9

I'm really sorry to hear that Nancy. Remembering that I'd read that hummers wouldn't feed from poorly maintained feeders always reassured me somehow.

Carol R
Tennessee
USDA Hardiness Zone 7
Heat Zone 7

I'm sorry to hear that too. I had hoped that they would stay away from fermented solution.

Priya
Zone 7, Maryland

While on the topic of Hummingbird health. Can someone provide insight into whether bisphenol A, or BPA, is an issue one should be concerned with when selecting a non-glass tyoe of feeder? How do we know which feeders leach this chemical and which feeders are BPA free?

Thank you

Some posts have been removed in order to keep this very in good informational thread more on topic for the membership as a whole and this thread is now locked. No more posts.

Thank you from your moderator.

Penny
Niagara Falls, NY
USDA zone 6a/6b
Heat zone 4
Sunset zone 39