When you feed hummingbirds, you have to change the sugar water frequently or it will ferment.
Last week, the heat here was AWFUL....between the ever present rain showers, work, helping the kids with homework and dinner, I didn't change out the feeder mid week.
I waited until Friday.
Which brings me to Otis
I think Otis has a drinking problem.
I mean, LOOK at him in this next photo....kinda hunched over like he's about to fall off his barstool.....
Friday after work, I noticed he was sitting on this little hook and wouldn't MOVE.
At first I thought he was sick because he really didn't move AT ALL for a solid 30 minutes, he just sat there. I got a chance to change the water and realized he was just drunk.
The sugar water had fermented....it wasn't rancid but it was STOUT!
I got concerned because I didn't know how much Otis had actually consumed.
BOOZE ain't for birds, ya'll!
This hook is right outside our front door.
Kids came and went, the rain came and went, bees and wasps came and went.
Otis. Never. Moved. for 30 minutes, he just sat there.
But he never fell off his bar stool either, not even while bathing.....
To my relief, several other hummers came zooming in and Otis chased them off.
After chasing off the 'bad guys' Otis came right back and sat on that hook for another 4 hours, leaving only to run someone off.
At dusk, he flew off but he was back on 'duty' at 7 am Saturday...and stayed ALL DAY LONG on that little hook!
He would only leave to take a sip or to chase another hummer off.
He repeated this on Sunday too. It was too funny, he reminded me of Cliff from Cheers!
It got to the point that a couple of the kids' friends were asking "how is Otis today?"
He is still hanging around but he hasn't been sitting on the hook....
sorta makes you wonder if he misses his "special drink!"
8 comments:
What a fun story! I love hummingbirds.
Makes me kinds wish we had a fermented feeder. Only joking! What a great story, thanks for sharing!
I am laughing SO HARD! Tears are streaming down my face, Val! What an amazing story! So, how is Otis TODAY?:) Lori
otis is here but is now guarding a different feeder.....litty bully!
how cute, your very own bird and you don't even need a bird cage, just keep filling up his glass with the bad stuff.
OMG this is SO funny! I bet we need to change ours too. I didnt know that about the fermenting thing. Even though it makes perfect sense.Lol. Thatnk OTIS for teaching us a lesson!
I have a friend in San Antonio who has the same thing going on with her hummingbird feeder -- not the intoxication, but hummers that are very territorial! She gets great pleasure from watching them every day. I used to live in Slidell -- which side of NOLA are you on?
Look! Fess up! You had no one to lift a margarita glass with and you and Otis just did not know when to stop! It is sooo sad to hear you needed a poor little creature to make "maggies" and share with. I wish we lived closer and then we would show them all "what's for!"
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