GetCrafty Craft Facts

Q: What kind of "hangers" are you making: strings of beads, peyote/brick "straps", loomed "straps"? The reason I asked is, you said you were using thread & seed beads. I've been hanging Indian "lampwork" and glass pony beads strung on hemp or nylon cord, and "sun-catchers"/bird scares using either the cord or craft wire. I would think the thread wouldn't last too long with the weight of a full feeder and the motion of the hanger swinging/rubbing against whatever it is hanging on.

A: Used 'Nymo size A', the smallest needle I could get it through, and size 12 red silverlined Czech seeds. It took little time to make these. I figure I'll want to replace them with something fancier long before the thread breaks. Other thread might be better because 'Nymo' stretches. However, I'm lazy. I just colored some of the thread and made them a couple inches longer. I plan on letting the weight stretch the thread, and I'll shorten them up and take up the gap when I take them down for winter. I bought a third feeder, so I did it and my brother wanted me to do the one on his cabin, so did it too. He will be bringing another feeder down next weekend... Oftentimes 6 or 7 are feeding at once, at my place. This morning there were about 20 of them trying to feed at the same time! Hoards of young ones since we had such an early Spring, and I suspect I'll need/want to put up another feeder or two as the season progresses and more young are feeding. They hang at various heights around eye level when sitting at the kitchen table. I've really enjoyed watching them. I make up one nectar packet and mix that with two portions of sugar water, though if this keeps up, I may just go to straight sugar water. I've got a pitcher in the fridge for this. I need to mark it, as I got it confused with an identical pitcher that had cherry Koolaid in it (had to taste test to figure out which one I was "supposed" to drink)! I've got a question for y'all: How do you tell the males from the females? I see a very few that are red throated, but figured they were a different breed since they are less than 10% of the ones feeding. However, an old bird book my brother read indicates that there is just one variety this far north (central Indiana). I think the females are the duller colored ones... and if you don't hang up too many feeders, the hummers make good bug catchers - one in my yard perched on a tomato cage ring and ate aphids; they like 'Epi' flowers & Cape honeysuckle, too. Somebody around here was on a campaign to get people to stop using the mixes, and said the dye was bad for the birds, and that both it and the plain sugar solution were "junk food". After multiple problems with ants & yellow jackets, I stopped using both - I just try to have lots of flowers, and don't spray for bug control - the hummers like it when I shake the hibiscus & other plants with whiteflies.