The banana chip question is a good one.
I'd be surprised if any self-respecting bird would eat a banana chip. Therefore, perhaps starlings, crows, or gulls are snarfing up the sweets.

If the treats stay out overnight, your local omnivorous mammals might clean them up, such as opposums, raccoons, rats, neighbors.

If you catch the culprit, let us know who it is.

for the birds,
Tom


Tom Schooley
Sheila McCartan
Olympia, WA
Bucephala at comcast.net or

Please send personal responses to:
schooleymccartan at comcast.net
----- Original Message -----
From: Caratfeathers at aol.com
To: tweeters at u.washington.edu ; birdchat at listserv.arizona.edu
Sent: Monday, January 26, 2004 10:29 AM
Subject: banana chips treat and a question....


Greetings:

During the past two days I have put broken bits of banana chips (Trader Joe's brand) and raisins out on my balcony along with hulled sunflower seeds (I use hulled sunflower seeds to avoid the abundance of debris which will fall through the cracks onto my downstairs neighbor's balcony, and all the birds certainly seem to relish them sans the shell.). The banana chips disappear very fast! I have yet to spot the particular birds in the act, but I suspect the chips are being eaten by either the woodpeckers (Downy, Harry, or Flicker) or the Varied Thrushes that have also been coming up to my balcony as well as foraging on the ground where I also toss seed and goodies. I do suspect birds rather than the squirrels, since the chips are gone before the squirrels arrive to get their share (and more) of the sunflower seeds.

On to my question....I checked the label to see what ingredients are in the banana chips; actually I was checking the calorie content since I really relish this treat also, especially when dipped in a mixture of melted chocolate chips, swirled with marshmallow cream, and crunchy peanut butter! The birds don't get the chocolate dip!! Smiles!! The chips have some added sugar and honey. The honey is the ingredient that concerns me, because I remember reading that one should never give honey to hummingbirds. Does this hold true for other birds? I certainly don't want to put out any more of this delicacy if it is not good for the feasters. The chips don't really have a particularly sweet taste to me.

Thanks! Judy

Judy Rowe Taylor
Mukilteo, WA
caratfeathers at aol.com
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