[CT Birds] To boil or not to boil

[David Provencher]

Carolyn the answer is yes, or no, or maybe. Got that? OK seriously, it
depends on your source of water. If you have municipally supplied water it
will be chlorinated to a concentration of approximately 1.0 part per
million. Chlorine is added to drinking water to kill bacteria. In Spring,
when you would be making nectar for hummingbirds, the amount of chlorine
added is often increased intentionally. Sometimes the supplier increases the
concentration a bit more than intended and you can smell the chlorine quite
distinctly. They're not going to admit this but I've analyzed supplied water
and have seen the evidence. But I digress! I don't have evidence that this
chlorinated water has a negative impact on the birds but they certainly
wouldn't get it in nature and it is used as a biocide after-all. So if you
get your water from a municipal source, versus having your own well, you can
either boil the water to rid it of chlorine or you can fill a jug or pan and
allow it to sit for a day or two. The chlorine in supplied water will
breakdown once it is out of the system for a day or two. Don't let the water
sit unused for too many days however or you will be risking growing new
harmful bacteria! If you do boil the water you must allow it to cool to room
temperature before using it to make nectar or you risk speeding up
fermentation of the sugar. Personally I would use the boiling/cooling method
myself. If your source of safe drinking water is a well then there is no
need to do anything to the water and it can be used right out of the tap for
nectar making. Hope this helps.

 

Dave