Full Spectrum lighting, [Again]

[Jayd]

:cool: In all our thread about Full Spectrum lighting, did we mention that our grey's *See* in the UV range and who knows what other colors!!! With out the Full Spectrum lighting, are we blinding or limiting our grey's eye sight? :confused:

Jayd

[Dave007]

Lighting of that type shouldn't be aimed at a bird's face. Without UV lighting, blindness doesn't occur and lack of UV isn't limiting a grey's ability to see their whole color range. The position of UV lighting is such that it will cover the body. The only purpose sunlight gives off has to do with certain vitamins that a bird's body gets from the sun and in the wild birds don't spend much time in the sun, especially flock birds who stay in trees most of the day.. They only come out for short amounts of time during the day.

[Jayd]

Thanks Dave, I've heard that they're supposed to get: one person says 4 hr's, someone else says 8 hr's, and everything in between?

Jayd

[Dave007]

Well, my opinion is 1 hr-- to imitate the dawn morning rising sun and 1 hr in late afternoon to imitate the cooler sun which will fade away. In the morning, wild birds come out and seek and find and eat food. They stay out for about 1 to 1 1/2 hrs depending upon how successful they are in finding food.Then they disappear into the trees until about 3 or 4 PM and repeat that process, then they disappear again into the trees. The one exception concerning wild birds is the hummingbird which will feed all day long starting at about 10 AM until about 8 PM. They're constantly flying all over in the open and need to constantly replenish their energy since they rarely perch anywhere for long periods of time during the day. They don't even perch when eating at a feeder.

[Jayd]

Thanks Dave, a really helpful and useful reply...Jayd

[danmcq]

It depends on the power and strength of the UV.

 

A low power UV source that is full spectrum running at 7 feet high with the birds and people normally a minimum of 6 linear feet away is fine 12 hours a day.

 

It's all relevant to power and distance.

 

The UV does fluoresce a spectrum of light for the birds, that we humans can not see. It can assist in fluorescing bad spots on fruit, as well as make an apparently bland grey bird to our eyes, become a rainbow in theirs.

 

In the winter, I run my Full spectrum fixtures 12 hours a day. They are not high power light the avian suns, not are they setup 12 inches away from the bird. That is where serious concern for eye damage and burning of the exposed areas around the eyes can take place.

 

Dave is spot on in regards those types of lamps purchased for UV exposure in short time spans at close distances.

 

An example of what a bird see's, say a black Mynah in our vision, looks like to another Mynah fluoresced by the UV in sunlight:

 

[Jayd]

Thanks Dan, good point, power and distance, so we don't want so much light its *blinding" but just enough that it enhances its surroundings and caresses there body's. Gentlemen, thank you.

Jayd

Note: I have our camera set for "UV" light for taking pictures of our fid's, photos are bluish if I don't....

Edited April 17, 2010 by Jayd