Osprey
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3694
Registered: 5-23-2004
Location: Baja Ca. Sur
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Hummers (the birds, not the cars)
I'm on a roll with the animals stories so here's another.
"Brother, Can You Spare Some Sugar"
Lynda lost all of her approval (or disapproval) power when she died two years ago. Well, almost all. Now, mostly I do what I want. I did get crazy
for awhile after she died and I did some things I wish I could take back -- especially the thing with Julio. Move on, don't dwell. That's the secret.
So I don't consider how she would feel about what I'm doing with the hummingbirds, with the feeders.
We always had at least two feeders going on the patio. She made up the sugar water, I filled them, watched to make sure they were never empty for
very long. She gave me the simple recipe and when she was not around I would boil the water, mix it up; four parts water, one part sugar. We would
buy the coarse-ground sugar at the little store behind the church -- five pesos a kilo, we could afford it.
Needless to say, the birds love the feeders. All my gringo neighbors in this little part of Mexico have the same kinds of feeders and enjoy watching
the birds drink, flit about, squabble over the right to drink, the territory, prospective mates, nesting areas nearby. Larger and more mature birds
are able to frighten off smaller species or young birds, keep them from drinking. It took me awhile to find out the biggest of the hummers in this
area are called Xantus. They comprise almost 80 percent of the hummingbirds we see here at the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula. My
Peterson book on Birds of Mexico does not even mention this bird. It is obviously not from Mexico.
This thing with birds, about where they live, has been under my skin for a long time. I want Mr. Peterson to consider publishing some books called
"Birds Sometimes Seen in Chicago But Which Live (for the other 364 days of the year) in Patagonia". Or how about, for the people in New Hampshire,
"THESE ARE NOT YOUR ROBINS -- THEY JUST CAME HERE THIS SPRING TO EAT YOUR BUGS -- WHEN IT GETS COLD THEY WILL GO HOME. THEY LIVE IN ECUADOR."
Since I can't find any of the hummingbirds (living off my charity and largess) in books of "BIRDS OF MEXICO", I guess these little beggars are just
passing through. They're bums. I've watched them - they do not take nectar from flowers. They prefer the free food -- let the bees, moths and
butterflies do all the work, pollinate the flowers. Little green pan-handlers. Our patios are tiny soup kitchens for these little con-birds. But we
feed them anyway, why not; they're so cute -- they'd better be cute, it's their con. Small, feisty, colorful comes to mind. Over the years I made
lots of jokes about them. Said I was putting Equal, Sugar-Twin in the feeders instead of sugar -- that they were dropping like flies, that I was
making earrings, jewelry from their feathers. When Lynda cleaned the sugar-covered feeders with hot water she would occasionally rinse them with
bleach to kill any germs. I quipped to my friends that she left just enough bleach in the feeder to insure that any tiny nests under our palapa would
produce less eggs per nest (maybe none).
These little jokes did get me thinking. Just for diversion I could put certain things in the feeders, added to the sugar-water to see how the birds
would be effected. The same birds seemed to be returning, day after day, it would give me a chance to see how they might tolerate subtle changes in
the daily fare at my soup kitchen. What would be the harm? They don't live here, they're just on their way someplace or maybe on their way home. If
they aren't adversely effected, they'll return to feed; if I've added things they can't tolerate, they will go to my neighbors, get a regular meal.
This is not some kind of obsession. I'm only going to use harmless things I already have, things in the medicine cabinet, under the sink in the
kitchen, the spice rack, the garage:
A quick check.
Aspirin (probably use the little Baby Aspirin)
Melox
Premarin (Lynda's menopause stuff)
Prozac (that should slow them down some)
Drano (way too strong)
Chili powder (well, they are passing through Mexico!)
Kahlua
Vodka
Paint thinner
Bleach
Soap
I'm not cruel. I don't want to kill the little things, just have some fun. No bleach. The stuff is way too strong, that was just joking. Kahlua.
It's already sweet, probably sweeter than sugar. I mixed three ounces of Kahlua into the sugar-water. This richer brew, darker than the usual mix, I
put in one feeder -- the other the regular stuff -- I can have my own "control group". The alcohol in the new potion amounts to less than 1% by
volume; probably not enough to get them drunk. I can always increase it as I go along. While I'm deciding what other chemical possibilities there
are in the house, I think I'll need some kind of identification device for this experiment.
In the bodega, next to the dreaded washing machine I can't seem to get working correctly, I found some Rit dye. Found three empty plastic Windex
bottles under the kitchen sink; mixed it up, set the spray nozzle just so for the desired distance, saturation and I was in business. The birds are
practically tame and in no time at all I had marked a dozen of the them with the harmless solution. I'm afraid I overdid one or two -- right in the
eye. They shook it off. The stuff works great; I could write testimonials for these Rit people -- the stuff is not even coming off in the fountain
when they bath. I am beginning to see some feathers in the water but that is probably just from normal molting.
Boy, if I thought they were colorful before! I did all red, all blue, all yellow, alternating side colors, head red, body yellow, like that. Now I
have to be more careful what I give them. Although I have not discussed this little pastime with my neighbors I'm sure they're going to be able to
read something in my look if they come over and say things like "do you know anything about the red and blue hummingbirds I found dead under my
feeders?"
While I'm being so scientific about things I might as well have some sort of journal. I think I'll make up some sheets on the computer. Maybe
something like: Bird One, Size and Color, Dyed (yes or no), feeder One, feeder Two. For now I'll just keep my observations irregular and informal;
just jot down what I'm observing that I think might be caused by the addition of the Kahlua.
Friday, February 12: The Kahlua feeder is definitely getting more action than the plain sugar one. One large yellow- dyed bird (with a spot of red
dye on his head) has taken over the darker feeder. He is very aggressive, insular. Seldom leaves the feeder unattended.
Sunday, February 14: Despite the actions of the combative yellow bird, the dark feeder had to be refilled while the other is still about half full.
None of the birds seem to be adversely effected by the Kahlua mixture -- they all seem to be thirsty for the dark stuff; enough that they seem to be
working in small teams -- two or three keep the big yellow bird busy while some of the others drink. An active team leader is a small one I tinted
all blue.
Friday, February 19: The big yellow bird is gone. There are some yellow feathers around. The blue one has taken over the Kahlua feeder. The feeder
is empty. He drinks at the other one but rushes back to protect his now empty feeder.
Monday, February 22: Increased the Kahlua mixture to 5 oz. in feeder one. Orioles came to the feeder twice today. The hummers were more aggressive
than I have ever seen them -- led by the small blue bird, they ran the Orioles off before they could drink. With the one that came right at dusk, I
think if I hadn't intervened they might have killed him.
(I'll have to change the experiment for the time being -- I drank the last of the Kahlua myself -- will get more next month in San Jose Del Cabo).
Wednesday, February 24: Both feeders now have only the regular sugar water. (Can't go to San Jose for Kahlua until my S.S. check comes in on the
7th). Very strange things happening. I left the empty Kahlua bottle on the table on the patio. The blue bird (and another unmarked bird) are
protecting the bottle as though it were a feeder. I swear to God. One or the other keeps guard over the thing from dawn to dusk.
Friday, March 4: Out of sugar. One feeder has been empty for two days; the other is almost empty. No more vodka till I get to town. Taking the
Prozac twice a day. The small wars continue. The fights over the bottle were fun to watch for awhile (from the bedroom, through the window -- they
won't let me near it). If they don't get some sugar-water tomorrow I'm afraid they will start killing each other. Let em. What do I care? Little
Ecuadoran drunks, bums.... Let em. I don't think I have to wait til dinner time for the other Prozac, I'll take it right after lunch.
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Diver
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4729
Registered: 11-15-2004
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You are a very fun, nut !!
Thanks for sharing.
Try some cheap wine next time, much less expensive !
Then you can publish your results ! 
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sylens
Senior Nomad
Posts: 584
Registered: 4-6-2005
Location: Ensenada
Member Is Offline
Mood: ando bajando
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 loved it. and it reminded me how often when i'm chopping veggies or washing dishes i am startled/surprised by the sudden arrival of
one of those (illegal??) immigrants at the orange bougainvillea that frames my kitchen window. i must admit they all look alike to me, so i have no idea whether it is one or several that grace me with their presence.
but i want more bougainvillea...
thanks for the fun and laughter
lili
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