Steve
Was she absolutely sure it was dead and not in a state of torpor? They do go into torpor when the temps drop especially at night to conserve body heat. I hope I am explaining that properly.

Penny

Penny, thanks for the torpor info. I wasnt aware of this condition. I looked this up and later called my sister and quizzed her about this but I guess, the bird was really and truly dead , as the munchkins said. She put it in her trash and she has heard nothing from it. So yes she said the bird is gone. That is certainly something to go in my memory banks thou. Yes she refilled her feeder after that episode. Thanks again for the info --Penny

Steve,
Feel free to email me any time.

Penny

Cleaning your hummingbird feeder daily is best for the hummingbirds.

Every morning we fill our feeders about 1/2 full using 1/2 as much sugar.

This way the hummingbirds have plenty of food all day, we don't waste sugar and the feeders get cleaned every day.

When we first started we only filled the feeders 1/3 because there were so few birds.

But now there are lots of birds who need more food and we have 3 feeder locations where we keep feeders filled fresh daily.

There seem to be about 3 or 4 distinct breeding families right here where we are.

We will try to post a good photo of a spectacular hummingbird with an irridescent orange beak and irridescent feathers.

We have a family of them here but they come and go on their own schedule.

We have never heard of them or read of them existing anywhere else.

Anyway the bottom line on the hummingbird feeders has to be:

"Would you prefer to drink fresh or old sugar water?"

Hummingbirds must feel the same way no doubt, yes?

Anyway, let's all clean our hummingbird feeders every day.

Im sure you have lots of hummers where you live and we would all like to see any pics of rare birds or birds that we would not normally see. The fact is I havent had any for a month now. When I do have them , I change my feeders every 2 or 3 days and thats probably average for most people. I dont think it is practical for most people to change and clean every day, but everyone has to do what they can and what they feel, and what they have time for.

I'm new to this so forgive me for asking questions, how else can I learn. I thought that you were supposed to always use 3 to 1 and that if it was too sticky the young can get stuck to the nest with it? I also boil mine to retard the bacteria that can be deadly from growing, probably happens quicker here in Tucson AZ. I change it everyday also. Just make a batch for about a week and keep it in the fridge. Am I doing the right thing?

jenme
Either 3:1 or 4:1 mixture is fine and it is what is recommended. Boiling the water does help to eliminate some of the chemicals that are in treated water and also to help retard bacteria. If you are changing it daily there is little chance of bacteria becoming a problem. The boiled water also helps the sugar dissolve instantely. It can be stored safely in the refrigerator for not more than a week or two. You are doing it right.

Penny

Jenme, my sister used to live in Tucson and she always had a lot of hummers and Im sure you do. And you are doing right especially since you have to change every day and there is no need to boil at that rate , I dont and a lot of people dont. Boiling will just help all cystals too dissolve quicker. Any authoritive article you read on the matter will say 4:1 ratio and so if you truly interested in the facts, heres a very good article to ck out.

Here is a link that might be useful: hummingbird feeding