In all of these recent discussions of "helping" wintering hummingbirds, how
these dietary changes fit in with a hummingbird's annual diet fluctuations has
not been addressed.
It is amazing what a female hummingbird has to go through. After reaching her
wintering grounds she must first recover from an arduous migration covering
thousands of miles. Next begins the process of systematically replacing all
primary flight feathers. Before this is complete she will begin preparation for
her return flight. Then another recovery, mate selection, nest building, egg
laying, incubation, feeding chicks a varying diet as they grow, a possible
second nesting, preparation for her migration back to her wintering grounds.
I'm exhausted thinking about this yet she is able to do this year after year,
completely on her own.
I think that humans providing a readily available, stable source of 4:1 sugar
water is the least invasive assistance in the annual sequence of events that
must be completed.
Placing in a cage for the winter, driving them to Austin, TX, providing Gerber
baby food or blood would seem highly likely to be a fatal intrusion on their
lives.
I don't think any of us would be involved with banding hummingbirds if we felt
it interfered in any way with their lives. Our interaction with them is brief
and scientifically precise yet for the winter host it is often a life changing
experience. We are fortunate to have this unique opportunity.
Fred Dietrich
Tallahassee, FL
On Jan 6, 2017, at 8:22 AM, cathie hutcheson <cathieannhutcheson@xxxxxxxxx>Humband is a private forum restricted solely to licensed hummingbird banders.
wrote:
Perhaps the editors of this publication need to be contacted for publishing
such tripe. Anyone can write stuff, but editors need to check for more than
grammar.
Cathie Hutcheson
Makanda, IL
On Jan 6, 2017, at 6:34 AM, Scott Weidensaul <scottweidensaul@xxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:
Looking at the ingredients list for this brand of baby formula
(https://medical.gerber.com/products/formulas/good-start-soothe; click on ;
"Medical Professional"), it contains 7.7mg of iron per 100g of powder.
Whether that represents a dangerous level of iron intake for hummers I can't
say, but it's an indication that focusing on the type of whey, as Davis did,
is missing the bigger picture.
Scott Weidensaul
Schuylkill Haven, PA
On Jan 6, 2017, at 7:15 AM, Nancy Newfield wrote:Humband is a private forum restricted solely to licensed hummingbird banders.
Bravo! Yes, this is going to be a problem for all of us and we appreciate
having strong rebuttal points.
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Humband is a private forum restricted solely to licensed hummingbird banders.
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To send a message to the moderators, address your email to
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