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From: phz@cadence.com (Pete Zakel)
Newsgroups: rec.birds
Subject: Re: Bird feeding and migration
Message-ID: <9009110228.AA06446@cds709.noble.com>
Date: 11 Sep 90 02:28:17 GMT
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Lines: 56

john@nmt.edu (John Shipman) writes ['}']:
}Pete Zakel (phz@cadence.com) writes ['}|']:

}I didn't realize Perky-Pet had three different formulations.
}What are the differences?

Original -> Sucrose/dextrose with food coloring.
Strawberry -> Artificial strawberry flavoring added.
Light'n'Sweet -> Much less food coloring and vitamins and minerals added.

}| Since the feeders and locations remain constant, I conclude
}| the difference must be in the nectar.
}
}A reasonable conclusion.  But is the difference in the
}composition of the nectar, or in the concentration?  A
}number of people I've talked to tell me that hummers
}prefer stronger solutions.  Perhaps Perky-Pet's formula
}is simply sweeter.

I doubt that Perky-Pet is sweeter than plain sugar -- I assume it *is*
just cane or beet sugar in finer granules.  But you did point up one thing
that I don't control absolutely -- the concentration.  The directions
call for one heaping teaspoon per 2 ounces of feeder capacity.  It is
possible that the concentration varies enough so that my observations
aren't completely valid.  Since I'm not trying to prove anything, I tend
to think that random fluctuations should even things out.  If I really
want to test this (which I may some day) I will make sure to use a gram
scale to accurately measure the dry nectar.

}| undissolved sugar in the nectar is very bad for hummers
}| for the same reason honey is bad -- can cause infection
}| on a hummer's tongue which frequently means death...
}
}I would still like to see some reasonable support for this
}assertion.  Perky-Pet might be pushing this point of view
}as a scare tactic to sell more of their expensive stuff,
}so I wouldn't believe their literature.

Actually, it may be.  I have read about honey being bad in several sources,
so I trust that, but I haven't read anything about table sugar causing a
problem so I have to admit I could be blowing hot air (to put it politely).

In any case, the house I am moving into in a couple of weeks was owned by
birders before me, and they say they have both Anna's and Rufous hummers
visiting their feeders, as well as Hooded and Western (I think) Orioles.
And recommended a good birding spot (Coyote Hills?) nearby (Fremont, CA).
Since I haven't positively IDed a Rufous hummer, I'm looking forward to
spotting some (I think I had one migrating through my yard a week or so
ago, but I couldn't get a good enough look at it to be sure).

This morning, though, I heard a mockingbird imitating a car alarm -- a first
for me.  I've heard them imitating bullfrogs before but this was the first
car alarm imitation I've heard.

-Pete Zakel
 (phz@cadence.com or ..!{hpda,versatc,apollo,ucbcad,uunet}!cadence!phz)