Posted on 03/19/2002 7:03:24 PM PST by lds23
HOW TO MAKE A HUMMINGBIRD STEW FEEDER
Commercial hummingbird feeders can be bought at most pet shops for under $25, however you can make your own for a lot less using recyclable material and have a delicious meal in the process.
The Ultimate Objective
Your goal is to create a “cradle” out of heavy wire or a metal coat hanger which will suspend an upside-down slender bottle (glass or plastic) filled with sugar-water. The liquid is released through a hole in the bottle cap. Remember, the fatter the better!
Needed Items
1. Plastic or glass bottle (water or soft drink bottles with red plastic caps work best)
2. Some heavy wire or a metal coat hanger
3. A nail, drill or sharp object to punch a hole in th bottle cap
4. Use 4:1 sugar/water ration for best tasting (organic) hummers
5. Some red ribbon or fingernail polish and a tennis racquet
Assembly
If you’re using heavy wire, cut a piece about 3 times the length of the bottle. If using a coat hanger, unwind it into a single length. Don’t worry if it looks kinked, this is not rocket science.
At about 1/3 the length, twist a small “loop” into the wire just large enough to fit over the bottle cap. This will hold the neck of the bottle when it is upside down. Wrap the remaining wire around the bottom part of the bottle, leaving about 4-6 inches of wire, which can be formed into a “hook”. This cradle will hold the bottle suspended upside down when it is filled with sugar-water.
Mix 1 cup of sugar with 4 cups of clean water.Do not use honey, dyes, or food coloring.Honey promotes the growth of a tongue fungus, which will eventually kill the hummingbird. Food coloring and artificial sweeteners have no nutritional value. Clean the bottle and then pour in this mixture. Keep any surplus liquid in the refrigerator.
Using a large nail or drill, make a SINGLE hole in the middle of the bottle cap, then screw it into place. Set the bottle upside down into the cradle and hang it from a rain gutter or tree limb away from any predators, especially the feline variety. To generate hummingbird activity, tie a piece of red ribbon or paint some nail polish around the neck of the bottle. A special rubber stopper with glass “feeding tube” can be used instead of a bottle cap.
Because of their territorial behavior it’s a good idea to hang 2 or 3 (or 10!!) bottles at different locations around the yard.
In the next article, I will discuss the “tennis racquet” method for harvesting hummingbirds, along with 3 very easy recipes for hummingbird stew.
BTW, she later shot said bear (she is in her '90's) with a .44 cal Sharps rifle that grandda had hung over the fire place years earlier, when said bear tore off the screen door and was leaning in on the inner door to tear it for its hinges. Let daylight right thru his furry carcass!
You have never seen a flock of hummingbirds together have you? They are among the most vicious birds I have ever seen. Don't let their small size fool you.
a. cricket
You forgot chameleons and other reptiles. Still it would be just my luck to meet a hummingbird that thought he should be a carnivore. That long beak is a lethal weapon.
a. cricket
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