Rare birds on Big Island Hawaii

[KauaiHiker]

Originally Posted by mangodog

You might have us just grow more flowers and hope that pesticides dont waste the hummers either.

Or, you could not use harsh chemicals on your property and grow plants (and a mixture of plants) adapted to the climate and local pests.

Seeing as how hummingbirds are not endangered like the endemic Hawaiian birds, I don't think a bit of sugar water is going to disrupt the population. Maybe stick to the dye-free kind. But, feeding the Hawaiian birds raises some interesting questions:

• Would 'i'iwi even drink artificial nectar (sugar-water), and would it be the same as hummingbird food? Not that you can find hummingbird food in Hawaii, so you'd have to make your own.
• What would you put the sugar-water in? Can 'i'iwi drink out of a hummingbird feeder with their larger curved beak? Could you just drill the feeding holes larger? Would they be attracted to an artificial feeder?
• Should you feed the wild birds of an endangered species? Would that make it dependent on humans and would that help it survive or not?

In the end, I would say don't try to feed them until you talk to a local bird specialist. They would be the people who know and can give you good answers. Ask at the National Parks or state DOFAW office.

Originally Posted by mangodog

I guess the I'iw'i is the only exotic bird in Hawaii that is the counterpart of the Birds of Paradise of New Guinea that the rural tribesmen favor in killing for the plumage they like to wear as they dance around in the dust.

Again, please study Hawaiian history carefully and don't make assumptions. While I have no doubt that Hawaiians killed some native birds, both for food and plumage, this was not always the case. A quick google found the following, with cited reference, at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feather_cloak:

"The ʻiʻiwi (Vestiaria coccinea) and ʻapapane (Himatione sanguinea), which provided red feathers, were killed and skinned due to their abundance. Yellow feathers were obtained from the mostly black and rarer ʻōʻō (Moho nobilis) and mamo (Drepanis pacifica) using a catch and release philosophy to ensure future availability."

Bonus trivia question: anyone know why there are no hummingbirds in Hawaii?

[whtviper1]

Originally Posted by KauaiHiker

Bonus trivia question: anyone know why there are no hummingbirds in Hawaii?

"Pineapples may also reproduce sexually from seeds, although this method is often less successful than growing them from propagules and is not possible with store bought pineapples because commercial growers breed pineapples without seeds. Seeds may be allowed to germinate naturally or can be chemically treated with sulfuric acid to bring about quicker germination. Since pineapples are self-incompatible (unable to self-fertilize), they will only develop seeds if they are cross-pollinated with another pineapple plant. Their primary pollinators are hummingbirds, which have been banned in Hawaii, one of the chief pineapple-growing areas. In addition, pineapple fields often contain row after row of identical plants grown from propagules that cannot cross-pollinate because they are genetically the same . If a pineapple were to be cross-pollinated and develop seeds, there would be hundreds of tiny brown seeds in a single syncarp, with one seed for each individual fruit in the fused pineapple."

Pineapple - CreationWiki, the encyclopedia of creation science

[Futuremauian]

Originally Posted by whtviper1

"Pineapples may also reproduce sexually from seeds, although this method is often less successful than growing them from propagules and is not possible with store bought pineapples because commercial growers breed pineapples without seeds. Seeds may be allowed to germinate naturally or can be chemically treated with sulfuric acid to bring about quicker germination. Since pineapples are self-incompatible (unable to self-fertilize), they will only develop seeds if they are cross-pollinated with another pineapple plant. Their primary pollinators are hummingbirds, which have been banned in Hawaii, one of the chief pineapple-growing areas. In addition, pineapple fields often contain row after row of identical plants grown from propagules that cannot cross-pollinate because they are genetically the same . If a pineapple were to be cross-pollinated and develop seeds, there would be hundreds of tiny brown seeds in a single syncarp, with one seed for each individual fruit in the fused pineapple.
Pineapple - CreationWiki, the encyclopedia of creation science

Interesting post Viper. I enjoy learning new things. Thanks for sharing it.

A funny tidbit of off-topic info: Yesterday I turned on the local news, but I was early. "Family Feud" was on, and the question was asked: "What is the largest state in America" One family's spokeswoman said "Hawaii". The spokesman from the other family said "California". The most common answer in FF's poll was "Texas". Apparently most hadn't heard about Alaska.
It's amazes me how little the average American actually knows about common things. End of meander.

[mangodog]

Bonus trivia question: anyone know why there are no hummingbirds in Hawaii? Kauai Hiker....

Let me take a stab at this. Very complicated to ponder... hold on to your seats muchachos: Hummers migrate in a specific pattern from S America in the winter to N America in the summer. Hawaii is not actually in their flight plan, hence they do not travel long distances across the ocean- their perogative . The two Americas are connected and many flowers along the way until bulldozers get the upper hand and governments dont care.

............................................

Like, making hummer nectar is rocket science....Like, takum some warm water and dissolve enough white sugar in it to make a saturated solution, ( about 800 mole ). Like, unless you actually intend to poison the birds, yo might use Sucrolose, Aspertain or Saachrin and add Red dye 40, Red Dye 55 Yellow Dye 6. Like, I hope the birds have more sense and intuition that to drink that mess. Like, what duh you think ? I dunno.

[lanormun]

In CO the hummingbirds only visit the front range briefly and don't touch my feeders but love the flowers (trumpet vine, honeysuckle, penstomen and others. They are up at the cabin for most of the summer/fall and go nuts over the feeders. They become very territorial with them and can be aggressive toward other hummers. I think it is the male chasing off other males and of course the more females the merrier . I would never buy humming bird food, mangodog is correct about it not being rocket science the biggest consideration is to keep your feeders clean, and watch out for bears

[KauaiHiker]

Bonus trivia question: does anyone know why there are no bears in Hawaii?

I say: if you can't beat'em, join'em.

[McFrostyJ]

No bears in Hawaii? Apparently you haven't heard of the Hawaiian Water Bears on Haleakala!


Please Do Not Feed the (Hawaiian) Bears! | Facebook

There is also an article on them in the new issue of Maui Magazine.