My wife found a hungry baby hummingbird today chirping away in our yard. It could barely fly, but would feed from the feeder when she held it up to it. We were going to leave it outside, but it started to rain. Also, it was making a lot of noise and there are plenty of hungry cats that would respond unfavorably. Due to the above, we decided to care for it a few days until it could fend for itself.

Here are some photos of the tiny fellow.

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your wife must love wildlife the hummingbird looks happy

 

That is incredable. I saw a video about a month ago about a guy who did the same thing. They formed a real bond. The bird would go outside and do HB things and then come back to the guy. Maybe you have a new family member.

 

That's cool! Nothing like getting close to nature

 

That's no baby, it's full grown but maybe not mature.
It probably is too weak to fly after a long flight down. Maybe it did not eat enough before it left and is probably not going to survive outside too long if it does not fatten up. It should go to a sanctuary where they can feed it properly, fatten it up and send it on its way.

All our HB's have left here, we last saw them in the garden on Thursday. They have gone to South America for the winter and spring.

 

How cute ..... I hope it makes it. Its hard to say if it is a baby or not, all of the HB's are so tiny and fragile.

 

HB's are born so that they are capable of flying thousands of miles at this time. Nature makes sure of that.

 

Google rescued baby humming bird to see the you tube video I was refering to. Sorry not sure how to link but I found it again that way.Kim you will enjoy this.

 

Jim, I think this is the video you were talking about. It is really cute. Lots of work to teach those little guys to fly & feed themselves.

Rescued Baby Hummingbird - YouTube

 

When we lived out West, we would easily have 20 of them fighting to eat and occasionally would have them fly in an open door to have a look, but never got more than 12" from them. We don't have nearly that many these days, but the ones in our area should be leaving soon with the weather changes we've had. Between three of us with various feeders, they should be fattened up good for their trip.

Good luck, but 180 is right, if you have a bird sanctuary nearby it would be best to go to them. If not, just keep doing your best, no red dye though. Keep us posted.

 

Thanks Kim that is the one. I enjoyed watching it again. I am becoming a softie in my old age LOL

 

This morning my wife was able to get in touch with the local animal rescue. The little HB will reside with them until Spring and at that point it will be released.

The guy said it would have certainly died if we'd left it outside overnight. That little HB better be glad my old eyes spotted him after the wife walked past it.

Anyway, hopefully this is a happy end to the story.

 

Thank you for posting this story. It was really uplifting ......

 

For some reason in the spring HB's are attracted to my open garage (no it's not because of the crossfire) and they get trapped inside. They will buzz around the white drywall ceiling trying to get out but will not exit through the open garage doors. They will occasionally land on a light fixture or garage opener to rest but will not come down. I have tried coaxing them with the feeder and even flowers but I always end up getting the ladder and simply picking them off their perch feeding them for a few minutes and then releasing.
They need nectar frequently to survive.

Now, we have a house rule that the garage doors are kept only half open during HB season.......got to keep these little beauties safe.

 

Great story Grip grip.
Anything could have happened to the guy on it's flight down from up north, including just hitting a window.

Glad you posted the saga.


franc

 

try leaving the doors open and shut off allthe lights, just at sunset. generaly the birds head for light. If not, they tend to roost in the dark. easier to catch.

We get them, all breeds, in our warehouses. Seems theonly way to get them out.


roadster with a stick

 

It usually happens in the early afternoon and the little darlings keep relentlessly buzzing the ceiling until they are exhausted. I always try to be quick in rescueing them because they don't last long without nourishment.
I'll try your suggestion and maybe I should close the garage doors and open the rear man door for a more concentrated point of light. I'll willing to try anything.

 

Just thinking of driving by and seeing someone running around in their garage waving flowers just give me the giggles.

 

HBs eat small insects as well so a varied diet is essential to their health.
Let's face it a diet of sugar is not good and an overweight hummer would not fly too well.
Hand feeding Hummingbirds - Ketchikan Alaska Tours - YouTube

We feed the hummers all summer, from May to September, they left last week on Thursday. We have a lot of flowers in the garden so they eat there and at the feeder.
If we stand by the feeder they will hover a foot from our faces and look us in the eyes, amazing little creatures.

I held one that had been trapped in our garage, exhausted it lay in my hand, I cooled it with water. It suddenly took off and was gone.

I found an old nest in a bush, a perfectly shaped cup, it was about one and a half inches in diameter.

 

I had three still feeding up until the first frost last week. Miss em already and can't wait till they return in the spring.