Hummingbird Revival
As I promised in my recent post, here is the video of the hummingbird I rescued from our house.
He flew in one morning while I was working outside. I had left the door open, as I usually do during the nice spring days. By summer, I keep the door closed to keep out the bugs and the heat, but I always forget about the hummingbirds in the spring.
I came back inside to the familiar buzzing sound of a hummer trying to escape. Usually they try to get back out from the nearest window, which makes them easy to catch. But this guy had flown right up to the living room ceiling 18 feet above, and nothing was going to bring him down. I saw this once before, but that little guy tired after about 10 or 15 minutes, and he flew down to perch on the counter, where I easily captured him and let him go. After 20 minutes, this little powerhouse hadn’t paused once!
Try as he might to peck through the ceiling, it was a simple matter of physics before he would be forced to land. Those little bodies can only store so much energy before the tank runs dry and they need to refuel with nectar or sugar water. I had my butterfly net in hand, thinking that he’d slowly make his way down to a counter or a piece of furniture. He never paused, and he never wavered in his effort until he used up the last of his energy reserves. One moment he was flapping for freedom, and the next, he was in a free-fall towards the floor. There was no in between. No gentle descent. Like a light switch, he turned off and fell.
I collected his tiny body from the living room floor. His chest was heaving, but his eyes were closed. He was passed out cold. I took him outside into the shade. There was a hummingbird feeder there, so I stuck his beak into the hole.
Nothing.
I waited a few minutes and tried again.
Still nothing. His eyes remained closed, and his little chest beat like a tiny jackhammer.
Clutching him loosely against my chest with one hand, I went inside and poured a small amount of sugar water into a small saucer. I took that saucer and the bird back out to the deck. This time, when I stuck his beak into the cold, sugary nectar, I got a response.
I reached into my pocket, grabbed my phone and started filming with one hand while the other tended to my little friend.
You can watch the rest in the video below. Enjoy!
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Aww – Such a sweet story. Glad you were able to save him!
Thank you, Nadine! đŸ™‚
Wow, you’re the hummingbird whisperer! I’m impressed, love the blog!
LOL, now Handan is calling me that, Sally! đŸ˜€
Way to go Greg! And Handen, too. Hummer was lucky to have you rescue him. You two are creating a fabulous home and yard. Bloom where you’re planted. So true.
Thank you so much, Claudia! We couldn’t agree more with “bloom where planted!” That’s perfect!
i am glad that what could have been a tragedy turned into a very happy ending xx
So am I, Chris. I love all our little creatures. Well, except the mice, because they create a mess, and the rabbits, because they eat my garden. But I still can’t bring myself to dispatch the little ones. We just found a bunny hole at the base of a tree filled with sleeping little newborns. Even though I know they’ll grow up to terrorize my carrots, Handan and I marked off their den, and we keep ourselves and the dogs away from it. I guess everything deserves a chance to do good in this world. But chew through my walls or eat my garlic bulbs, and it’s game over! đŸ˜€
What a great tender story about the Hummingbird. The video is great!
You are funny the way you described your bunny limits…:) You just voiced how I feel about the bunnies eating my veggie garden…Maybe I should plant extra just to share with them…but they may bring others to the table…
LOL, they’d just eat the extras…AND your portion! đŸ˜€
Awww, that is just about the sweetest thing I’ve ever seen! (I’m surprised the fall didn’t injure or kill him…) Lucky you were there to revive him! And, I can’t believe the way you can get wild birds to just sit in your hand!! You really are the Bird Whisperer!
Thank you, Terra! He was so light, he practically floated to the ground, lol! Check out his bedhead in the video – it’s from him slamming it against the ceiling for 20 minutes. Poor thing.
WOW
Amazing. I have always loved
humming birds! So tiny, so busy.
So beautiful. I would love to hold one
like that!
Thank you for rescuing this little one,
Great Job!
Thank you, Patricia! They are amazing little things. There’s nothing to them! I’m amazed this one flew for as long as he did!
That, by far, was your best post yet.
Thank you, Gail! đŸ™‚
Great job Greg, I’m so glad she made it. You did Hummingbird CPR!!!!
Thank you, Cheryl! I thought I was going to lose him there for a while.
You saved a Mama!!! <3! Yay!!!!
It felt good, Derry! đŸ™‚
Awesome film and such a great story or rescue and recovery. A life saved and you did it all by yourself, you gave Hummer a new lease on life – Tell Hanna to give you an award.
Thank you, Carol! đŸ™‚
A gentle soul thou art…the hummer whisperer!! franki
Thank you, Franki! Handan started calling me that now đŸ™‚
I loved reading your post! I too had to revive a hummingbird once. He couldn’t figure out how to get out of our garage until he had worn himself out. I put some water in a bottle cap and, after dunking his beak a few times, he revived pretty quickly. He took a few more drinks and flew off. It was so exciting to have held such a tiny creature and help it out!
They are incredible, and it does feel great to help them out!
Just gorgeous..
Very special moment..thanku for sharing ?
Thanks, Kaz! đŸ™‚
Greg, that was the most beautiful thing to watch; so glad you were able to help that little hummer. That was a great film too. Good job!!
Thank you so much, Michele!
Hummers are so wonderful and amazing. So glad you were able to revive this little one. Just saw a show on them and their tongues are incredible – https://phys.org/news/2011-05-hummingbird-tongue-video.html
Yeah, their tongues are wild! Such fascinating little creatures!
What a precious story to share . You’re a hummingbird whisperer ! Great Job ! thank you
Thank you, Sandy!
Kudos to you and a big “thank you” Greg for saving that hummer! It took him a while to recover and fly off, but I bet he’ll come back to thank you one day if he hasn’t already! They have great instincts and seem to know when they’re helped out with nectar!
I’d love to see him again, Gail!
That’s wonderful Greg, and amazing to watch. We don’t get hummingbirds in the UK. Such pretty little birds and so good to see it perk up and fly off. Great work sir!
Thank you so much, Suzie! Shame you don’t get to see them there in the UK!
Good Job Greg! Birds are dear to my heart. I am the crazy bird lady in my neighborhood so this post was especially dear to me.
You’d love our yard, Kat! đŸ˜€
Great job! I had one stuck on my pool cage screen once. I don’t know how he did it but his beak was through the tiny hole in the screen and he couldn’t get it out. I pushed it back out and away he went. (Talk about sticking your nose in where it doesn’t belong:) Love your blogs!
LOL, I can totally picture that – he must have been freaking out!
You are a truly good man. Brought me to tears. Such a kind heart you have. I can’t wait to show my 5 and 8 year old grandsons this video. God Bless You.
Thank you so much, Amanda! đŸ™‚
It was so sweet of you to save this precious hummingbird. I cried just yesterday when I found a dead hummingbird on the edge of our property line, and our neighbor. So reading your story tonight, touch me in a positive way. Thank you!
Thank you, Ivory – I’m glad it came at a good time for you!
A beautiful post. I always enjoy getting your emails. Thank you! Helen
Thank you so much, Helen!
You do realise this makes you a Disney Princess, right? All you need now is your own song and a beautiful gown.
Jay! I just saw this comment – I’m so sorry for the delay in getting back to you! Well, of course it makes me a Disney princess! And I choose Ariel. She was always my favorite! đŸ˜€
Hi Greg – I loved this video! I have a hummingbird nest outside, resting in the little curl-i-que of one of my awning posts. It appeared 3 years ago and she’s come back each year. I was so surprised to see her back year two – and I am happy to see she’s back again this year too! I think she’s finished building it up but I haven’t looked inside to see if she’s laid her eggs yet. It’s up a bit above my head so I reach up and take a picture of the inside trying not to get too close. I’ve never touched or removed the nest and it’s AMAZING to see how it has survived over these 3 years. What a marvel and so sturdily created! The base is stuck to the metal and I think (and hope!) that it has CEMENTED itself and grown stronger each year. She comes back and builds it up and it looks so comfortable and fluffy and beautiful. (she is back and sitting in it as I type this!). Last year we had a HUGE rainstorm with the rain coming down in sheets and the wind blowing like crazy and I was so afraid that the nest would get soaked and fall or get blown to the ground. The eggs had hatched by then and I gotta admit that I was feeling pretty protective of them. I went out and stood in the pouring rain with an umbrella (over THEM, not me!) to help protect it – the momma had flown away awhile earlier. Then I got the idea to hang a blanket from the awning and halfway around the nest. The momma came back and perched above the nest but never went to sit on it – and I was doing some research to see if there was something I could do. The advice was to let nature take it’s course and not to mess with it. So, I took the blanket down and watched. Momma came back and sat on her nest protecting the babies. The nest and the little ones survived and the nest is still there! I’ve read that it’s rare for them to come back to the same place to build their nest. I’m just fascinated by these little birdie creatures – and their habits and just everything about them. Thanks for this video!
Hi Pamela, what a great story! If you’re ever able to get a photo, I’d love to see them! đŸ™‚
I have a cpl videos we took when my boyfriend was trying to hand feed the hummingbirds.. I have a video of a Male and a female.
Hi Maria, send them my way! greg@thenavagepatch.com
Omg, this hummingbird rescue absolutely touched my heart.. me and my boyfriend both have a small obsession with hummingbirds. He bought a small hand-held hummingbird feeder and has fed a Male and a female..he was so amped-up lol.. needless to say, we love that you were so kind-hearted to help this sweet bird regain its life. You’re wonderful!!
Hi Maria, there’s no better feeling than feeding one of those little guys by hand! It’s awesome that you’re getting the opportunity! đŸ™‚
I just loved your story. I once rescued one of those huge pileated woodpeckers; he flew into my sliding glass door. He floundered like both wings were broken. I yelled for me kids to get the old parakeet cage un the cellar–like his body NEVER would have fit through the door! I grabbed a huge bath towel and managed to catch him. What a beautiful golden eye–but kinda nasty looking, too. He got his breath back and got away from me, landing on a nearby maple trunk. He finished recovering and flew magestically over the river behind our house. It was an awesome moment–just like yours!
Oh wow! I love pileated woodpeckers! We used to have one around here, but I haven’t seen him in a couple of years. Gorgeous birds! That must have been incredible to hold one!