Subject: [Tweeters] Anna's Notes
Date: Nov 23 14:22:56 2010
From: David Hutchinson - flora.fauna at live.com



I don't really have a position on whether this bird should be encouraged to stay in our area or not. I do know that I find them great fun and for many people they are one of the few intimate contacts with wild birds that they have in their lives, which cannot be a bad thing. As a reminder, here are a few results from my feeder survey of long ago:

Hummers often stay close to house walls because of the ambient warmth. This might also be the reason they are hiding in your the garage.

They may continue to visit flowers for nectar, but they might also be garnering small insects from the flower tubes and from spiders' webs.

Some people have a series of feeders which they keep indoors and change when the outside ones freeze.

Feeders are wrapped in thick socks to slow their freezing.

People have been known to put a few drops of glycerine in the feeder to lower the freezing temperature.

Having them in different places to give everyone a chance is a good idea.

A bad idea is to mix your sweetener with water at low ratios like one to one, which just might polish your birds off.

And lastly an apology, as I seem to be able to spell the unusual name "Canivet's" but not the common name "Emerald". Oh well, perhaps my children are right, I am just a dumb limey!


--
David Hutchinson, Owner
Flora & Fauna: Nature Books
Discovery Gardens: Native Plants
3212 W.Government Way
Seattle,WA.98199
http://www.ffbooks.net/
206-623-4727