I think they're too smart to take more than a single sip. Then they went away because "Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me". They decided not to fool with that stuff again.

I hope it doesn't make them phobic about feeders.

Animals are usually really smart about poisons. I've never seen a rabbit- or deer-nibbled daffocil or petunia (both poisonous). I also read that not only are they smart on their own, they also learn from what happens to others.

The fault is with the people who market red hummer food-- your neighbor was just trying to match what she thought they needed (red sugar water) on the cheap.

I can't imagine Koolaid is going to hurt the hummers. It is basically sugar water with some additional flavorings to make it more attractive to humans. I certainly wouldn't describe it as poison. It might be helpful for you to speak to your neighbor about what you've learned in your years of feeding hummers about the best food sources for them. A little gentle education will go further than wringing your hands about her poisoning her hummers. And, I'm sure Koolaid is more expensive than plain sugar water. So, please don't accuse her of being cheap as well as ignorant, and not making an effort to fix the situation by providing her with some education.

Martha

Sorry to offend, docmom. However, I didn't accuse the neighbor of anything, neither of being ignorant nor cheap.

I said she was just trying to do something "on the cheap"-- maybe on the "quicker and easier" would have been better language. As far as I'm concerned doing something on the cheap doesn't mean you are cheap. I do things "on the cheap" all the time, and so do most people.

In fact, anyone who tries to feed birds is rather generous with both their time and money, IMO.

And btw, you may hate the word "cheap", I hate the word "ignorant". I think of it as a slur, not a description of an action. Why not say she didn't know better instead of calling her ignorant?

I'm sorry I came across snippy. You are right on about how some words strike a different chord for each of us. As I reread your post, with a different mind set, it's clear you were implying quick more than cheap. And I use ignorant to imply only lacking in knowledge. But, I can see it could sound demeaning. I need to watch more carefully and not post in a hurry. Happy Hummingbirding.

Martha

Martha, thank for the the very gracious and generous reply. See, as I said, people who feed birds have a generous spirit!

I don't think I deserved it, since my own post was written a bit hastily. But thank you anyway. :)