hummingbird feeders

>Date: Wed, 14 Jul 1999 10:24:14 -0700
>From: "T. Wood/S. Williamson"
>Subject: Re: Best-1 feeder
>

>>Yes I am hoping some one with more knowledge about this product can
>>help. Some years ago I bought a hummingbird feeder called BEST -1
>>Hummingbird feeder made by a company in Poteet, Texas. I have never had
>>a bird use this and I cannot think of what might be wrong . Any ideas
>>would be thankfully accepted.
>>--
>>Marjorie Hastings Flowers fill the
>>Spring Valley, CA. potholes of

>
>
>I really do believe that the problem with acceptance of some feeders isn't

>the feeder itself but the birds' preferences which develop through prior
>experience. A bird that's been using a Perky Pet Four Fountains every
>summer of its life may not recognize a radically different feeder design as
>a feeder, and if there's a more familiar feeder available (in your yard or
>a neighbor's) there's a good chance it won't use the strange one. Tom and I
>used the Best-1 at Ramsey Canyon Preserve for the last several years we
>were there and never had any problem with acceptability, but the resident
>Ramsey birds had seen just about every feeder design in existence and never
>seemed hesitant about using a new feeder.
>
>I believe the implication here is that if you want to switch feeder
designs
>on these conservative, suspicious little creatures you should do it
>completely and/or be very patient. If they continue to have access to a
>familiar feeder they may not even bother to try the new design, but if you
>use a new feeder long enough a new generation of birds will eventually take
>to it. It's sneaky, but you might even try putting a 3-to-1 solution in the
>new feeder and a 5-to-1 solution in the old one to accelerate the
>acceptance process.
>
>Sheri Williamson
>Southeastern Arizona Bird Observatory
>PO Box 5521, Bisbee, Arizona 85603-5521
>Web Site: http://www.sabo.org

====================================================

Date: Wed, 5 Sep 2001 06:54:01 EDT
From: Bob Sargent <RubyThroat@AOL.COM>
Reply-To: BB for Hummingbirds and Gardening for them in the Southeast
<HUMNET-L@listserv.lsu.edu>
To: HUMNET-L@listserv.lsu.edu
Subject: Re: [HUMNET-L] Hummingbird Listserve

In a message dated 9/4/01 8:41:02 PM Central Daylight Time,
Stan Merrill writes:

<< My Hummingbird feeder is approved by one of the leading Hummingbird Study
Groups in the United States. This eye-catching feeder is easy to clean.
Just
snap the feeder apart and put in your dishwasher. No brushes or pipe
cleaners needed! The feeder comes with a 10" green "gazebo" roof to protect
the nectar from the hot sun and summer showers. Six (6) yellow
flower-feeding ports on a red feeder pan with three (3) having perches. A
clear 1 liter plastic bottle for the nectar is included as well as a
colorful nylon hanger cord. Hummingbirds love this feeder and you will too!
[START of message]
Aren't you tired of the same bottle type feeders? After all, you don't just
want any ole feeder hanging around your house - do you? What is the
price??
Only $10.95 plus shipping. Let me know if you want one or a dozen.

Best regards,
Dan >>

Humnetters
If the feeder mentioned here is the one made by Plasticraft in Alabama, it is
a fine one. I tested this unit for a couple of years and suggested some
design changes before it was made available to the public. The folks that
own this worldwide plastics company are strong supporters of the conservation
movement. I have six hanging in my yard at the present time. They are great
for those sunny spots.

Bob Sargent, Trussville, Alabama

==================================================

Date: Sat, 29 Dec 2001 13:49:59 -0600
From: Don Richardson
Reply-To: BB for Hummingbirds and Gardening for them in the Southeast
<HUMNET-L@listserv.lsu.edu>
Subject: Re: [HUMNET-L] Feeder Users

At 10:10 AM 12/29/2001 -0600, you wrote:
>Gee----I have some of those! In summer they always seem to leak! I'll
>try them now in the cooler weather---will try the wire,
>too---Thanks!----Linda K.

I love those "Little Beginner" Perky Pet feeders. Any gravity fed feeder
will leak as the day warms. The liquid is held in the feeder by surface
tension and differential air pressure. Changes in temperature change those
dynamics and equilibrium. when it all cools, toward evening, the liquid
and air inside contract and air may actually get sucked in. When the day
warms, those components expand and push some of the liquid out of the
feeder. The only fix is to use a feeder with the feed holes above the liquid.
The leakage doesn't bother me at all. They're so easy to keep clean and
with the small 2 oz. capacity I can change them often without much
waste. I use six and I made a little carrier (like the old carriers the
milkman used to use) with 8 holes. With 12 feeders, I can load six clean
full ones and make my rounds swapping the new for the old. I then clean up
the used feeders, used the carrier for a drying rack and they're ready for
the next changing.

Don Richardson
Pearland, Texas

==================

Date: Sat, 15 Jun 2002 17:56:55 -0500
Reply-To: BB for Hummingbirds and Gardening for them in the Southeast <HUMNET-L@listserv.lsu.edu>
From: BB for Hummingbirds and Gardening for them in the Southeast <HUMNET-L@listserv.lsu.edu>
Subject: Re: [HUMNET-L] California
To: HUMNET-L@listserv.lsu.edu

From:Nancy L Newfield on 06/15/2002
05:56 PM EST

John,

At 02:57 PM 6/15/2002 -0700, John Hentsch wrote:

>I use Hummzingers too. If you're getting a lot of
hummingbird traffic, you
>might want to give the Hummzinger Excel a try. It holds 16
oz and has 6
>feeder ports. I originally started using the Best-1 feeders
but discovered
>the wasps enjoyed them as much as the hummingbird did. I've
put several of
>the Best-1 feeders back up this year but if the wasps find
them again, I'll
>have to take them down.
>
>BTW, the best price on the WEB I could find for the Aspect
Hummzinger Excel
>is at the Feed Store for $15.99. The minis are $12.77.
>
>http://www.feed-store.com/hummfeeders.html
>
>You have to phone in your order though...
>
>
>Has anyone on this list ever used the KHB-16 Hummingbird
Feeder? It appears
>to be
>very similar to the Aspect Excel but it costs less,
$11.77.
>
>http://www.feed-store.com/hummfeeders/kfeeder/kfkhb-16.html
>
>Comments on this one? Especially compared to the
Hummzinger.

The KHB-16 was one of 30+ feeders I tested for a Bird
Watcher's Digest
article. My notes indicate that in testing on
Ruby-throateds, we found the
feeder ports were a little too far from the perches for our
birds to use
comfortably while perched. While it scored well in
attractiveness to
humans, it scored poorly in attractiveness to hummers. I
had similar
complaints with the Hummzinger Excel and it got fewer visits
on a
head-to-head trial. To access the syrup, especially if the
feeder was not
completely full, the birds had to hover in a horizontal
plane while poking
their bills straight down into the syrup. Most hummers
seemed disinclined to eat in that position.

The Mini-Hummzinger was not tested because the protocol was
for 16-ounce or
larger feeders, but the port to perch distance is better on
that model and
the feeding ports are angled toward the perch. This port to
perch distance
would likely make less difference to a really long-billed
bird like a
female Black-chinned than it would to a shorter-billed
hummer such as a
male Ruby-throated [or Anna's or Costa's or Rufous or
Allen's or Calliope].

I have kept the Mini-Hummzinger and discarded the Hummzinger
Excel and the
KHB-16.

Nancy L Newfield
Casa Colibrí

======================================

Date: Mon, 17 Jun 2002 10:14:52 -0500
Reply-To: BB for Hummingbirds and Gardening for them in the Southeast <HUMNET-L@listserv.lsu.edu>
From: BB for Hummingbirds and Gardening for them in the Southeast <HUMNET-L@listserv.lsu.edu>

From:Nancy L Newfield on 06/17/2002
10:14 AM EST

John,

At 04:48 PM 6/15/2002 -0700, John Hentsch wrote:

>Nancy, was your test solely based on comfort of use to
the hummer? Were any
>other considerations taken into account such as ease of
cleaning,
>wasp/bee/ant resistance, nectar monitoring/level
indication, or feeder
>leakage issues?
>
>What type of hummers did your observation include?
>
>Did you also test the Best-1 feeder?

Sorry to have dropped out so abruptly. Had to join
family for Father's Day
and such. Attractiveness to hummers was one of several
criteria we were
given to investigate or comment upon. However, that is
the single most
important criterion for me. Ease of filling, ease of
use, ease of
cleaning, durability, stability, whether or not it had
red or orange parts,
ease of hanging or mounting, whether or not it leaked,
whether or not it
was bee or wasp-proof, whether or not it was ant proof,
visual appeal to
humans, and cost were also considerations, which we were
to rate on a scale
of 1 [for poorest] to 5 [for best]. I was one of four
persons conducting
the tests.

The sheer quantity of feeders to be tested was more than
a bit
daunting. None had arrived when I left for Costa Rica
on 1 July last
year. When I returned 11 days later, 35 large boxes
awaited. Some
companies sent 1 each of their entire line. The boxes
filled a large
corner of my already cluttered living room.

While we were given a list of the criteria, we were not
instructed as to a
specific testing method. Some of the criteria, such as
attractiveness to
humans, were relatively subjective. Others, such as
whether or not it was
ant-proof, were absolute. We were instructed not to
publicly discuss our
participation in the testing before the article came
out.

I established my own protocol, one I thought would
eliminate as much bias
as possible. Because I rarely have a large number of
hummers in my own
yard, I decided to conduct my tests at the Owens' home
where I band
weekly. There, 25+ feeders are usually out from late
July until early
October. My testing was done during late July and in
late September.

During the July testings, only Ruby-throateds were
present. A single adult
male Rufous had arrived by the time the September tests
were being
conducted. He did visit one of the test feeders, but
mostly the tests were
on Ruby-throateds.

To test how attractive the feeders were to hummers [the
most important
criterion], I placed a double "shepherd's crook" in the
center of the yard,
in a location where there had never been any feeders.
Then, I placed one
test feeder on each side of the support, testing two
feeders at a
time. Each feeder hung at the same height. None of
Margaret's feeders was
removed. The majority of Margaret's feeders are
Perky-Pet "Four
Fountains", but other kinds were always out as well. I
used a previously
unused spot for deploying the feeders to avoid having
birds use the feeder
because one had previously been present there.

I counted the number of hits each feeder got during a
timed 60 minute
period. Then, I removed the test feeders and waited 30
minutes before
moving the "shepherd's crook" to another spot more than
10 feet away. I
counted as a feeding bout only times that an individual
could clearly be
seen feeding, not just times that any bird approached
the feeder. I didn't
test before 08:00 or after 16:00. Each feeder remained
in its sealed box
until I prepared it for testing. I made up a score
sheet to record my data
and impressions as I assembled and deployed the feeder.
Because I never
have enough business to require 16-ounce or larger
feeders, none of the
feeders was one I normally use, though a few were larger
versions of my
favored models.

Obviously, all possible biases could not be removed. 60
minutes during
late July were not comparable to 60 minutes during late
September, but even
during the September testing, numbers of individuals
present during a test
period did not remain constant and numbers fluctuated
widely through the day.

My results were surprising. The most attractive feeder
to my human eye, an
expensive blown-glass model, did not score a single hit.
One that I deemed
to be quite ugly scored quite well during the July
tests. Few of the
Artline feeders scored well in all of the criteria
categories. A couple
were so ugly that I wouldn't want my neighbors to see it
in my yard. The
Opus "Garden Song" scored the greatest number of hits
while their "Garden
Jewels" model is identical, but it did not score as
highly though it was
tested on the same day.

The Bird Company #360 was also fairly popular, though I
deem it to be
pretty ugly. For this model and the "Garden Song", the
birds seemed to
particularly like the juxtaposition of the perches to
the feeder
ports. The "Garden Song" has adjustable perches, but
the birds seemed to
prefer it when the perches were fully extended.

The Aspects "Excel" and the "Best-1" [32 ounce] each had
quite a few
users. The Perky-Pet "Lantern" also scored well with
the birds though I
really didn't like it very much. Assembly was
difficult. I couldn't get
the Droll Yankee "Happy 8" to hang straight, so the
syrup shifted to one
side, making the other side useless.

Overall, I enjoyed the testing. It was interesting to
watch hummers come
in and investigate the new feeders. In observing, I
came away with a
couple of impressions. 1) They do not like to have to
hover in a
horizontal plane, while sticking their bills straight
down. 2) They do not
like to have to push their faces deeply into large
"stand-up" plastic
flowers such as those on some of the Artlines and Opus
models.

No feeder came across to me as "perfect", while a couple
were completely
unacceptable. Organizing the information was difficult.
I'm glad someone
else was chosen to write the article.

Nancy L Newfield
Casa Colibrí
Metairie, Louisiana USA

==========================================

Date: Fri, 5 Jul 2002 12:59:00 -0700
Reply-To: BB for Hummingbirds and Gardening for them in the Southeast <HUMNET-L@LISTSERV.LSU.EDU>
From: BB for Hummingbirds and Gardening for them in the Southeast

>
>My 2 cents: I use the cheap (under $4 at Walmart) Perky pet feeders and
all
>the hummers seem to like them just fine. I have few insect problems, no
>serious drip problems, no major complaints. I clean by soaking in a bleach
>solution, and this plus sunshine makes the clear plastic reservoir become
>opaque, but they last a couple of years at least. I don't now the model
>name, but they are sort of similar to the four fountains model, but made
>entirely of plastic, have only three feeder ports, no large red flowers -
>they have small yellow ones - and no bee guards.
>
>Ron Rovansek
>Huntington Beach, CA

Ron/HUMNET: for all those reasons, that's also my favorite model
(other than when I have large numbers of birds May-August, when I go
for a similar Perky Pet design but much larger). Those little
3-holers don't have that silly big red plastic flower on them (which
collects sugar water that attracts bees and wasps), and I spray paint
red the flat yellow plastic "flowers" that surround the ports. I
also spray the plastic bottle with red spray paint to make it stand
out more. If I had the time, I'd paint red Salvia-shaped flowers on
the bottle as well.

I use the "saucer" design feeders only where sheltered completely
from any sun -- in my microclimate, the solution in these saucer
feeders accumulates debris and gets scuzzy probably 5X faster than
upright models. I think it's a combination of surface/ratio (more
surface area allowing more microbes to enter) and port angle (which
allows stuff to enter the feeder directly from above).

--
Van Remsen
LSU Museum of Natural Science

==============================

Date: Fri, 5 Jul 2002 14:58:20 -0700
Reply-To: BB for Hummingbirds and Gardening for them in the Southeast <HUMNET-L@LISTSERV.LSU.EDU>
From: BB for Hummingbirds and Gardening for them in the Southeast <HUMNET-L@LISTSERV.LSU.EDU>
Subject: Re: [HUMNET-L] Feeders
To: HUMNET-L@LISTSERV.LSU.EDU

>--- Rrovansek wrote:
>
>> Perky pet feeders -- I don't now the model name,
>> but they are sort of similar to the four fountains
>> model, but made entirely of plastic, have only three
>> feeder ports, no large red flowers - they have
>> small yellow ones - and no bee guards.
>>
>> Ron Rovansek
>===================
>7/5/02
>
>Dear Ron and Van,
>
>That would appear to be the Model 211 from Perky Pet.
>
>See
>
>http://www.perkypet.com/feeders/nectar/plastic/plastic.html

Rob Protz

--- that's the one, folks: 211 Clear Plastic 8 oz.

>It looks to me as if you might be able to solve the
>plastic deterioration problem by going to the Model
>213 - same page - which uses what looks like the same
>base screwed onto a 1-liter plastic beverage bottle.
>All you'd have to do is keep changing the bottle.

--- good idea. I wonder if the smaller 12-16 oz plastic bottles
would also work: for me, smaller is better for about 8 months of the
year.
>

--
Van Remsen
LSU Museum of Natural Science
Foster Hall 119, LSU
Baton Rouge, LA 70803

======================================

Date: Thu, 18 Jul 2002 14:52:19 -0400
Reply-To: BB for Hummingbirds and Gardening for them in the Southeast <HUMNET-L@LISTSERV.LSU.EDU>
Subject: [HUMNET-L] Hummer feeder test

About a month ago, I decided to test the Aspects Hummzinger feeder.
You can see a picture at
http://www.aspectsinc.com/4a%20HummZinger%20Excel.html

At the time I put up the feeder, I had 3 Perky Pet 210 16 oz feeders
(http://www.perkypet.com/feeders/nectar/glass/glass.html), 3 Perky Pet
203CP "four fountain" feeders, 1 Perky Pet 217 Window mount feeder
(http://www.perkypet.com/feeders/nectar/plastic/plastic.html) and 3
Perky Pet "Little Beginners" hanging at various places on my deck. All
these feeders were being emptied almost daily. I replaced the most
popular ( the one emptied the fasted ) PP 210 with the Hummzinger at
about 7 PM on June 20 in time for the evening rush of hummers tanking
up for the night.

It was interesting to watch the hummers initial reaction to the new
feeder. Most of the birds that evening( about 3 out of 4 ) would fly
up and inspect the feeder, often flying all the way around it looking
at each port, and then go to one of the other feeders. The other 25%
used the feeder, either perched or hovering, right away.

The feeder appears to get quite a bit of use. I see hummers using it
almost as often as any one of the other feeders. However, this is
misleading because the consumption of the sugar water is much lower.
On the weekend of June 28-30, we went away for the weekend. When we
returned, ALL of the feeders except the Hummzinger were completely
dry. The Hummzinger was down about 4 ounces. This has been the story
on this feeder for the entire month I have had it up. While the other
feeders are emptied every day or two, the Hummzinger has NEVER been
emptied. Every 3 or 4 days (sooner if it looks cloudy), I pour out 8
to 12 oz of sugar water, clean it and refill it.

Last night, I took the Hummzinger feeder down and replaced the PP 210.

As far as I know, all the birds in my yard are local. I don't think
migration has begun yet. I have had approximately the same number of
birds since about June 15 - 4 or 5 birds are using the feeders at just
about any time of day and before dark, I often see 12-15 at a time.

I plan to repeat the experiment beginning about August 15 to see if I
have better luck with the migrating birds.

Les Eastman

Havre de Grace, MD

=======================================

Date: Fri, 5 Jul 2002 19:33:57 -0500
Reply-To: BB for Hummingbirds and Gardening for them in the Southeast <HUMNET-L@LISTSERV.LSU.EDU>
From: BB for Hummingbirds and Gardening for them in the Southeast <HUMNET-L@LISTSERV.LSU.EDU>
Subject: [HUMNET-L] cheap feeders, cheap sugar, cheap plants...

Ron and Van wrote;

My 2 cents: I use the cheap (under $4 at Walmart) Perky pet feeders and all
>the hummers seem to like them just fine. I have few insect problems, no
>serious drip problems, no major complaints. I clean by soaking in a bleach
>solution, and this plus sunshine makes the clear plastic reservoir become
>opaque, but they last a couple of years at least. I don't now the model
>name, but they are sort of similar to the four fountains model, but made
>entirely of plastic, have only three feeder ports, no large red flowers -
>they have small yellow ones - and no bee guards.
>
>Ron Rovansek
>Huntington Beach, CA

I don't think you guys are taking this cheap concept far enough. Every few
weeks visit your favorite restaurant and pilfer as many sugar packets as
you can. If you do it right, you'll eventually have enough packets to make
homemade nectar. Now don't pay for the water needed to make the nectar --
just pilfer water from your neighbor's garden hose ;-).

Ok, seriously, the Perky Pet 211 is a cheaply made feeder. Why buy a feeder
you end up discarding after a few years? Are you really saving that much?
Here's an alternative: buy the Opus Garden Song model 440. I've seen it in
grocery stores for between 6 and 7 dollars (it's probably even cheaper
elsewhere). The plastic reservoir will last a few seasons. But you can
replace it with a glass reservoir made for the Garden Song 453. You'll end
up with a combo feeder that will last for many more years -- and it has a
perch. And you're not putting even more plastic in the garbage.

Why encourage companies that make inferior products?

Howard Williams
Dallas, Texas

=======================================

Date: Tue, 18 Jun 2002 13:21:33 -0400
Reply-To: BB for Hummingbirds and Gardening for them in the Southeast <HUMNET-L@listserv.lsu.edu>
From: BB for Hummingbirds and Gardening for them in the Southeast <HUMNET-L@listserv.lsu.edu>
Subject: Re: [HUMNET-L] Feeders

On 17 Jun 02, at 16:00, Nancy L Newfield wrote:

> Here in Louisiana, the Perky-Pet "Four Fountains"
seems to be preferred by
> the birds over all other type of feeder. Their
"Little Beginner" is also
> popular. I use the feeders that the birds seem to
like best. However, I
> am always trying new models and keep an arsenal of
more than 100 feeders
> around.

Humnetters
Once more I agree with Nan on the "best hummer feeder".
I base my rating on which feeder hummingbirds prefer,
NOTHING ELSE. I have tested many dozens of feeders over
the past several years and remained convinced that
hummers are attracted to, and will feed at, the Four
Fountains model from Perky-Pet more often than any other
feeder that I have tested. I will soon have
approximately 50-60 Four Fountain feeders in my yard.
There are certainly easier feeders to clean than this
model, but who cares about a pretty feeder that most
hummers ignore. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
I think the Ruby-throated enjoy eyeing my Four Fountains
more than any other feeder.

In addition to the 50 plus Four Fountains, I normally
have about 20 of the Little Beginners from Perky-Pet
tucked away in the shrubbery for the less aggressive
youngsters (a trick I learned from my buddy Ms. Doris
Hope in Diamondhead, Mississippi).

I have no axe to grind with any of the manufacturers.
None of them donate a crying dime to our banding
research.

Bob Sargent
Trussville, Alabama

=====================================

Date: Mon, 1 Jul 2002 07:38:41 -0600
From: BB for Hummingbirds and Gardening for them in the Southeast <HUMNET-L@LISTSERV.LSU.EDU>
Subject: Re: [HUMNET-L] Homemade feeder designs?

Scott,

When I was a kid in the 1950's, I 'helped' my Grandpa Guy, Gerlacus
Marinus Bouricius, build several hummingbird feeders, two of which I
still use today. Since then, I have made many more sugar water feeders
which are very popular with hummers and other birds. Grandpa Guy first
built some of these feeders for Grandma in about 1938 when he began
construction of a cabin in Peaceful Valley, Colorado. I believe the
feeders were based on a simple design featured in an old National
Geographic article.

He just used a 12 oz. Coke bottle inverted and suspended over a red
glass candle cup. Heavy copper electrical grounding wire was fashioned
as circular holders for the cup and the bottle, and the wire was
attached to a tree or 3/4 inch water pipe pole. The candle cup could be
lifted up and out of the wire holder for cleaning. A second wire was
wrapped elliptically around the candle cup as a perch, close to
accommodate hummers and wider for larger birds. The Coke bottles had a
waist, so wire was wrapped around the middle, then up to the "bottom"
and down, forming a hook which was dropped into the pipe pole to hold it
at the correct level in the cup. The bottle with it's attached wire
hanger, could be lifted out of the candle cup through the wire holder
and off the pole for cleaning. The trick is to rig it so the bottle is
held about 1/2 inch into the candle cup. The cup and bottle is the
precursor of all modern commercial bottle feeders and works on the same
principle. I have made several variations of this using interesting
bottles. A favorite is a tall tapered Galliano bottle. Quality red
lead glass candle cups can be hard to find--I'm always looking for
depression era red glass in antique stores to make hummer feeders.
However, suitable modern substitutes can be found, and a little red
paint or nail polish on the outside of clear or pink glass will work.

Since it is an open cup feeder with a reservoir, many kinds of birds can
access the sugar water. Mine regularly feed chickadees, Cassin's
Finches, Western Tanagers, Red-naped Sapsuckers, and Steller's Jays, to
mention a few. In late summer, bees can be a problem, but then it
serves to lure the bees away from the commercial hummer feeders. I
think this is a project which 10-14 year olds could do with a good
example, the right materials, a good pair of wire cutter/pliers, and
some guidance.

Good luck,

Steve Bouricius
Palisade, CO

=================================================

Date: Tue, 17 Sep 2002 13:27:54 -0500
Reply-To: BB for Hummingbirds and Gardening for them in the Southeast <HUMNET-L@LISTSERV.LSU.EDU>
From: BB for Hummingbirds and Gardening for them in the Southeast <HUMNET-L@LISTSERV.LSU.EDU>
Subject: Re: [HUMNET-L] Saucer Feeders and Spoilage Rate - and more... too much
more

Over many years in a few different locations, I have gone back and forth
on feeder types. I used to use the large reservoir feeders because of
their capacity and that's what people gave me. The larger capacity was
just wishful thinking because in the suburbs where I live, they were
never drained before going bad and I ended up throwing out at least half
of the solution anyway. I then started filling them only partially, but
expansion/contraction of the airspace made them drip more, turn black
and attract more bees, etc. I initially attributed it to the feeder
design in general, so I went to saucer types. There were pros and cons
with the saucers: they definitely do go bad sooner for the reasons
mentioned in earlier posts, however, there is less spillage, and in some
cases if you don't fill them all the way, they are harder for bees to
get to. But in the winter, the rufous always seemed to go for the four
fountains over the others.

This fall the bees were all over my feeders - especially bumblebees.
They can extend their proboscis into almost any saucer feeder, and they
then must make a mess because the honey bees follow. So two weeks ago,
I went and bought several new Perky Pet four fountains, did not have
time to paint the bee guards red as Van suggested, but did put plumbers
tape every where (as Miriam suggested) and hung them in the shade
(mentioned by several humnetters). While they do investigate, the bees
are not feeding in masses as before (even with yellow guards) and it was
apparent that for whatever reason, side by side with saucers, this style
of feeder is also more popular with the ruby throats.

I still keep a few small saucers up - I think the smaller Droll Yankee
looks good and gets moderate attention and the small Humzingers get a
lot of use despite having no flower petals left (just a black-crusted
yellow insert in each port).

Also, as was most apparent this winter at the CBC - primarily in Satia's
yard, little beginners are a great way to spread out feeding stations.
While concentrated feeding stations are neat to watch during migration,
in the winter around here it may be more advantageous to make more
territories (associated with dense evergreen shrubs) to increase the
number of birds that may choose to stay in your area. These feeders are
relatively cheap, low capacity (less waste), the easiest to clean, and
you can hang them everywhere like X-mass ornaments (or duct tape them to
fence posts during hurricanes or tropical storms like Nancy).

As far as cold temps, plastics hold up fine, but do get brittle over
time. just don't put them too close to the flood lamps for heat since
even in freezing temps, they will melt. I've had glass reservoirs
freeze with no breakage, but we don't get quite as cold here!

R. Scott Knaus mailto:rsknaus@gecinc.com

===========================================

From:Nancy L Newfield :

Surely, you've seen the ardor with which Lanny Chambers vets the Aspects "Hummzingers" yet those feeders don't get a lot of use at my place. Over the last several decades I've tried literally hundreds of different feeders. Results have been widely varied.

Here, I find that the Perky-Pet "Four Fountains" is used most readily with the Perky-Pet "Little Beginner" coming a close second. These feeders have flaws that Lanny likes to point out whenever the subject comes up. All of his points are good ones, but I let the birds make the final choices. If they want Perky-Pet feeders, that's what they will find at my house. Of course, I like to cover all of my bases so I use other feeder models as well, making it easy for birds to have some choices.

At any time, I usually have out an Aspects "Mini-Hummzinger" and an 8-ounce Best One as well as a Perky-Pet "Four Fountains". I sometimes use one of the Opus designs. I suspect that a certain amount of feeder choice by hummers is based on feeders that they have used in the past in other places. I wonder how they actually learn to use feeders in the first place.

Over the years, I have tested feeders for several companies and for Bird Watcher's Digest. I've seen the good, the bad, and the utterly useless! While testing16-ounce or greater feeders for a Bird Watcher's Digest article, I used a very well-constructed model from Opus. Using my testing protocol, it scored twice as well as any other feeder in the bunch - well over 100 feeders. Even though I never need a feeder with a capacity of 16 ounces or more, I took it home and put it in my own yard. Well, no hummer has ever come close to it here so now it just takes up space in my limited storage box. Go figure.

I suspect that feeder choices from the hummers' point of view is based on the types of feeders they have encountered previously and the ease of getting to the juice. I suspect that feeder choices from the hummerhosts' point of view is based on esthetics, ease of use, ease of cleaning, and prejudice. When a feeder is developed that meets all of the hummers' needs and all of a hummerhosts' desires, we will then have the perfect feeder.
Nancy L Newfield

===================================================

From: BB for Hummingbirds and Gardening for them in the Southeast <HUMNET-L@LISTSERV.LSU.EDU>Subject: Re: [HUMNET-L] Hummer feeding preferences: rubbermaid v. perky petTo: HUMNET-L@LISTSERV.LSU.EDU

From:Brent Ortego 07/11/2003 07:48 AM EST

I use 70+ feeders and my strategy is somewhat different than most. The hummers need to accept the feeder readily, it needs to be easy to clean, relatively bee proof and relatively inexpensive. I have settled on a Texas brand, "Best-1". I add a collar to keep most bees off and I am able to buy 8 oz feeders by the case for about $5 per feeder. They are easy to clean and receive acceptable use by hummers. I have one hum-zinger which is a good feeder, but it cost too much. I have used a variety of Perky Pets which are attractive to the birds, but most have some form of spillage problems with a few being difficult to clean. My preferred winter feeder if they would improve the design is the plastic 3 oz Perky Pet "test tube" like feeder. However, it drips too much and it is extremely difficult to control bees. I have used one Rubber-maid and a variety of fruit looking feeders with poor success.

Brent Ortego
near Raisin, TX

===============================================

From: BB for Hummingbirds and Gardening for them in the Southeast <HUMNET-L@LISTSERV.LSU.EDU>
Subject: Re: [HUMNET-L] perky pet

From:Sheri Williamson

I just hate to see folks held hostage by the perception that these birds are too conservative/stupid/what-have-you to use different types of feeders. Over the last 15 years, I've fed hummingbirds in places such as Ramsey Canyon Preserve, SABO's Banning Creek Field Station, Colorado, Belize, and here at home in Bisbee. I've used more than three dozen different models from at least at least 10 manufacturers, and my observations indicate that the birds will use whatever feeders are available as long as they've got fresh sugar water in them. Can tens of thousand hummingbirds of 16 species be wrong?

IMO, you're doing yourself a real disservice by not using feeders that are easy to clean and durable and playing into Perky Pet's nefarious plans for world domination <wink> by not continually exposing the birds to a variety of feeder styles. Overcoming any suspicion on the birds' part about a new feeder is really just a matter of giving it a fair trial. As Richard
alludes, the tendency of some individuals to return to the same feeder over and over is more often a function of location than model, so the best battle plan for switching feeders is to hang the new one where the old one was. Do this in late summer and you'll cultivate an entire new generation of diversity-embracing hummingbirds!

Sheri Williamson
Southeastern Arizona Bird Observatory
==========================================

From: BB for Hummingbirds and Gardening for them in the Southeast <HUMNET-L@LISTSERV.LSU.EDU>
Subject: [HUMNET-L] Little Beginners
To: HUMNET-L@LISTSERV.LSU.EDU

From: Tom & Eloise Sylvest

Beth and Humnetters,

When the caps (bottom parts) of Little Beginners are screwed on to the containers they gradually stretch. That makes them leak. I have many of them. I take electrical tape, any color and wrap one layer around the container on the threads. Then I trim the excess tape off with my knife leaving the threads covered. Voila, feeder as good as new. I have about forty such feeders in use and all of them have the tape on them. When the tape gets dry or comes loose, I put on new tape. I keep a roll of the tape with my feeders for that purpose. If you don't like black tape you can buy red. I tried teflon tape but it doesn't stay in place. The electrical tape will withstand many washings, soakings, and other cleaning stresses.

Tom Sylvest