Hungry hummingbirds and their mini-feeders

Written by Jack Sanders
Thursday, 05 August 2010 10:53

Last week, we detoured into the world of insects, discussing hummingbird moths. But at our house at least, the bigger story this season has been the hummingbirds themselves.

We have never had so many. At least, that’s what we think, based on consumption of nectar. We can’t really count them — they all look alike — but we do know that we have to fill feeders at least daily in order to keep up with their hunger.

We use small, tube feeders made by Perky-Pet, a company with an odd name that seems to specialize in hummingbird feeders. Perky-Pet probably makes at least a dozen models, but perhaps because this one costs only about $5, it is not widely advertised by retailers. It’s called the “Perky-Pet Planter Box Hummingbird Feeder with Hanging Rod,” model 215P, and comes with a coat hanger-like wire that you can stick into a flower box or pot, from which the feeder can hang.

Flower box feeders are a nice idea, but we hang our feeders from suction-cup mounts, attached to windows. In the bedroom, the hanger is on a large picture window, positioned next to a side window that opens so we can reach out and grab the feeder for refilling. In the kitchen, the feeder is mounted on a window about 10 feet above the ground. We have this feeder tied to nylon string so that it can be raised and lowered from the suction-cup hanger for refilling.

Several companies make window hangers. A nice one is the Songbird Essentials Window Suction Cup Hanger, Model SE077, which runs about $6.50. It has three suction cups, enough to handle the even heavier seed feeders.

In one way, these small planter box feeders are a pain in the neck since you may, as we do, have to refill them daily.  However, a benefit is that they force you to keep the nectar supply fresh. Particularly in the dog days of summer, sugar-water can quickly start to grow strange bacteria, molds and other substances that may harm hummingbirds.

I mix up a two-cup batch of nectar and keep it in the refrigerator where it will last many days. (The mixture is simply a half-cup of white sugar to two cups of water.)

These little feeders are easy to clean and come equipped with a bee-guard, a little cage-like device that is supposed to prevent “bees” — any sweets-loving insect — from competing with the hummers. It may discourage most insects, but some varieties of wasps, including yellow jackets, still can’t resist the scent of sweetness inside that cage.

It’s actually entertaining to watch the confrontations that occasionally occur when a wasp is on the bee guard, trying to figure out how to get inside, and a hummingbird approaches. The hummer wisely treats the wasp with respect as the insect, protective of its find, behaves aggressively toward the bird. Usually, the wasp soon wanders off and the hummingbird resumes using its drinking source.

Bird-insect conflicts aren’t the only ones at the feeder. Hummingbirds fight among themselves for access. Even with feeders that have three or four drinking stations, I have never seen more than one hummingbird at a time at a feeder. I have seen two or three fighting over access to it, however.

As usual, almost all our visiting hummingbirds are female. Rarely does a male with its bright “ruby throat” appear. I know they are around, however, because I see them on nearby flowers. Perhaps the males are purists and won’t accept “artificial” food.

Coming up

Milford Point & Great Meadows in Stratford, birding trip with Brian O’Toole and others Saturday, Aug. 7, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., $12/person, RSVP required to Brian at 203-869-5272 x221.

Trip to Jamaica Bay National Wildlife Refuge, early fall migration, Saturday, Aug. 28, 8:30 a.m.  to 2:30 p.m., $5 (kids free), carpooling from Millwood, N.Y., Saw Mill River Audubon, 914-666-6503  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Sharon Audubon Festival, nature walks, bird programs, music, food, displays, Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 14 & 15, 9 to 5, 860-364-0520, sharon.audubon.org.

Birdwatching cruises of the Norwalk Islands, aboard the new 45-foot C.J. Toth ferry, three hours, Saturdays, Aug. 7, 21; Thursdays, Aug. 5 and 19, at 7:30 a.m., $22 adults, $12 kids,  Norwalk Seaport Association, Seaport Dock,   corner of Washington and Water Streets, South Norwalk, reservations, 203-838-9444.

Copyright 2010 by Jack Sanders. Send sightings or comments to: jackfsanders [at sign] yahoo.com, or to Bird Notes, Box 1019, Ridgefield, CT 06877; or call 203-438-1183, extension BIRD (2473), and leave a message with your report, spelling your first and last names and telling us your town. If you need help identifying a bird, try your local nature center. If you find an injured bird, call wildlife rehabilitator Darlene Wimbrow of Redding, 203-438-0618, Wildlife in Crisis of Weston, 203-544-9913, or Wild Wings of Greenwich, 203-637-9822. The columnist’s website is www. sandersbooks. com.