Here is another opinion. We are still short of facts.
Anyone out there feeding at two mixtures? One at 1:4 and one with extra
sugar???
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Subject: Sugar and hummers

I posed your question to Bob Sargent, THE expert in the Southeast. Here
is his response.

>Morning Jerry
>I am totally opposed to the tendency to strengthen the sugar solution. I have
>seen far too many hummers that were suffering from inflated and bloated
>conditions that I THINK are related to the super strong solutions. In these
>lethargic birds with no fat and very excessive body weights, WITHOUT EXCEPTION,
>the hummer host was feeding the super mixtures. "If a little is good, more is
>better"; that seems to be the logic. Many of these "poisoned" birds (my
>opinion) simply disappear and are never recapture in future years. I STRONGLY
>SUSPECT that they simple die.
>
>It is my belief, no proof, that they extract the sugars and place them in the
>bloodstream but cannot use it all. In those cases, IT IS MY OPINION that their
>filtering systems view the excess almost as a toxin and it attempt to remove it
>unsuccessfully.
>
>I AM NOT A MEDICAL EXPERT, BUT THE IMPLICATIONS ARE STRONG ENOUGH (IN MY
>EXPERIENCE WITH OVER ONE THOUSAND WINTERING HUMMERS) TO TRIGGER AN ALARM. It
>is my position that if a hummer needs more sucrose, it will simply feed more
>often. To my knowledge there is a wisdom in what they do that has been in
>place long before the invention of the hummingbird feeder.
>
>I hope this hurried response will help in some way. You may quote me and you
>may reprint this response for whoever. It is OPINION based on more experience
>with winter hummers in cold climates than anyone in the world.
>
>Take care and God Bless.
>Bob Sargent

Jerry L. Ingles
Sewanee TN
jeingles at sewanee.edu
_____________________
I have found an incredibly wonderful bird.



------- End of forwarded message -------
Clarice Clark
Puyallup, WA. 98371
mailto:jbroadus at seanet.com