Hummingbird
News
|
|
| Hummingbird
News |
"You can bring hummingbirds within easy viewing-and
photographing-distance without the aid of expensive store-
bought feeders," says amateur aviculturist Jud Baker. "All
you have to do is recycle some old prescription vials into
makeshift nectar dispensers!"
You can go out and spend good money (anywhere from 79d to
S10) on a readymade hummingbird feeder if you want . . .
but you don't have to. I know how you can make those
feeders (from recycled materials) for no more than 3d to 51
each. And the finished product Is guaranteed to satisfy
even the most finicky hummer. (Fact is, the hummingbirds
which frequent our patio actually shun some "boughten"
nectar dispensers in favor of my homemade ones!)
The secret of my feeders' simplicity and low cost is the
ordinary 20-dram prescription vials that are available
everywhere. (7-dram tubes will work, if you don't mind
refilling them all the time . . . and 16-dram vials are OK
if they're untinted. Unfortunately, the 16dram containers
are usually amber colored, and the color turns off the
hummers.) You probably have some of these tubes on hand
already. If not, they'll cost you just 31 to 59 each at
your local drugstore.
HOW TO MAKE A FEEDER
To fabricate one of my nectar dispensers, you'll need a
clear (untinted) prescription vial with a tightfitting cap,
some transparent (e.g., Scotch) tape, and a few feet of
heavy thread or thin wire. You'll also need an ice pick or
some other sharp, pointed metal object.
Start by heating the ice pick (or other object) nearly red-
hot and punching a pair of holes on opposite sides of the
plastic vial near its open end (see diagram). Make sure the
holes are I11 very close to-but not covered up by-the
bottom of the cap when the cap is in place, and 121
extremely small . . . small enough to keep insects out (and
liquid in).
Now round up a couple feet of thread or fine wire and
secure the ends of the thread (or wire) to the vial's sides
with Scotch tape as shown. For extra holding power, fold
the ends of the thread back over the tape and wrap a second
piece of tape around the tube.
That's basically all there is to it. Depending on how
elaborate you want to get, you can fabricate just one or
two of the feeders to hang up in the back yard . . . or you
can assemble a number into a mobile similar to the one
shown in the accompanying photo. I'vefound that the mobile
makes for the most interesting bird watching and often
attracts several hummers for what you might call a "family
style" serving of nectar.
To fill one of the finished feeders, just take o the cap
off and hold the vial upright... then "top it off" with
nectar, cap the container tightly, and quickly invert the
tube (So the feeder's "dribble holes" are at the bottom).
A small amount of liquid may leak out of the feeder's holes
initially, but the leakage will stop as a vacuum is created
inside the vial.
NECTAR REQUIREMENTS
Hummingbirds-which, individually, weigh barely more than a
dime-expend a phenomenal amount of energy every day. And,
to obtain this energy, the tiny birds consume incredible
amounts of syrup. A single hummer, in fact, will drink
about twice its weight in syrup (roughly 40% of its weight
in pure sugar) every day.
Not that syrup from the feeder (or nectar from flowers) is
the only kind of nourishment hummingbirds receive. The
brightly colored little birds which frequent my feeders
also relish a variety of insects (including aphids and
mosquitoes). I've watched them (through binoculars) catch
insects in the air and pluck bugs from nectar-bearing
flowers. Still, it always amazes me how five or six little
hummer$ can empty one of my 20-dram feeders in about an
hour.
When it comes to making syrup for your tiny friends, you
have basically two choices: 111 Buy a commercial nectar mix
(the granulated kind, not a tablet type), or 121 make up
your own sugar solution. (Incidentally, honey is not
recommended as a syrup base. Tests have shown that a diet
of straight honey can be weakening-or even fatal-to
hummingbirds.)
The first route is the most convenient (and the most
expensive). An 8-ounce package of "Instant Nectar" costs
around 51.25 in most pet supply shops or supermarkets and
will make up into 48 ounces of feeding solution (more or
less, depending on how sweet your birds like their drink).
Those 48 ounces may or may not last a week if there are
five or six hummers answering mess call.
The alternative to buying prepackaged nectar mix is to
make your own syrup. To do this, just stir four or five
heaping teaspoons of granulated sugar into a cup of water
along with enough red food coloring (vegetable dye, not
"U.S. certified" petrochemicals) to give the resulting
mixture a definite scarlet hue. The color is very
important, because hummingbirds have no sense of smell and
are attracted to nectarbearing flowers (and feeders) by
color alone.
WHERE TO HANG YOUR FEEDERS
It's generally a good idea to hang your feeder where it
won't be exposed to direct sunlight, since 11l sugar
solutions can ferment, and 12) sunlight tends to accelerate
the fermentation process. Also, try to place the feeder
where it won't be shaken (andperhaps-emptied) by wind or
tree limb motion.
Some bird watchers maintain that the way to bring hummers
to the patio is to hang a feeder near flowers that've
already attracted the birds, thenover a period of several
days or weeks-move the feeder progressively closer to the
patio (or the place where it is hoped the birds will
eventually hover and feed). That may be . . . but it didn't
happen that way in my garden. My birds came directly to the
feeders at my patio (and in my camphor tree) right off the
bat! With any luck, your little feathered friends should do
the same.
CLOSE ENCOUNTERS
Interestingly, hummingbirds are very pugnacious . . .
shyness just isn't in their nature. It's not a bit unusual-
for instance-for one of my tiny visitors to hover within a
few feet of my head while I'm hanging a refilled feeder. I
wouldn't be surprised ifsomeday -one of the birds perches
momentarily on my head. (An acquaintance of mine swears
he's had hummers feed out of his hand)
This, of course, is good news for the amateur
photographer, because it means you can easily shoot close-
ups of the birds without a telephoto lens (as I did the
photo accompanying this article). All you have to do is
wait quietly, with your camera cocked, until the hummers
pose (which I swear they'll do) ... then click the shutter.
(Hint: Kodak Ektachrome Daylight film-with an ASA rating of
200-is just right and will allow you to shoot at f/11 lan
average daylight exposure] with a speed of 1/125th of a
second [the minimum shutter speed . . . at faster speeds
adjust your f stop accordingly]. This won't stop the wing
flutter . . . but you're not going to do that anyway
without expensive special equipment.)
A BIRD WATCHER'S DELIGHT
If-like me-you enjoy watching hummingbirds close up,
you'll really love your prescription-vialsturned-feeders.
They'll bring your birds within easy viewing (and
photographing) distance . . . and-as an added bonus-you'll
be able to hear the music the tiny birds make (perhaps to
thank you, or to remind you to get their syrup to the perch
on time).
Give prescription-tube hummingbird feeders a try . . . and
you'll never buy an expensive, storebought nectar dispenser
again!