The Hummingbird Heroine, A Novel

The year 2020 will certainly go down in history as the one to remember.

I can’t quit witnessing firsts!

Yesterday we woke to Clare noticing a hummingbird stuck to the fly strip hanging in our garage. I knew there was a hummingbird in the garage the evening before. We’ve had that happen before & it was difficult to usher it out. The poor thing would not look down, just hovered at the ceiling until Clare & I made a makeshift funnel of cardboard to escort him out of the building… Well, Clare wasn’t around this time, neither was anyone else. I tried the cardboard trick but I couldn’t make it work. I decided at dark I would turn on the outside lights with the door open, it would “see the light” and fly out.

A couple of hours later I noticed it had worked! or so I thought… I can’t believe I didn’t notice the poor helpless thing trying to fly his way off the sticky strip… To my defense Clare didn’t notice him up there either when she got home that night.

Fast forward to the poor tiny creature stuck to the fly strip. I climbed a ladder and took down the strip, bird & all while wearing throw-away gloves. I could see his little heart beating so I carefully unstuck the poor thing leaving lots of tiny feathers behind. It made me so sad. Why had I not predicted that could happen?

After releasing him from the fly strip Clare locked ornery Mabel the cat in the garage & I set the very still hummingbird in the gazebo to see if he would regain strength after being rescued. He was very sticky from his tiny beak to his tiny hiny! Honestly I had no hope for him, but I had to try.

I looked online to see recommendations for removing sticky fly strip residue. Ever get that on your skin? It’s crazy, hence the reason it works great for trapping flies! It seemed that cooking oil was the most recommended remedy. I went back to the gazebo a few minutes later and the hummingbird was hopping around!

He looked dreadful; his tiny beak was stuck full of tiny feathers.

He was trying to free himself from the gook!

There was no way he could get rid of that on his own.

I decided to try the recommended fix. I poured some cooking oil into a bowl & got a small cloth. I wiped him down with the oil which immediately removed the gook & the loose feathers.

I then decided he needed to be washed warm water & Dawn dish soap. He looked downright pitiful.

Keep in mind his body would fit entirely into a tablespoon!

They’re so small & weigh next to nothing!

By this time he wasn’t moving at all again.

I was pretty sure he’d reached the point of no return.

Clare & a friend recommended some food,

so I made some sugar water for him.

He wasn’t moving so I had no clue how to feed him. I just set it close.

I figured he would smell the sugar and drink it if he could.

 In time he was on his feet again.

In the meantime Clare had made a Walmart pick-up for us so it was time to help her retrieve the groceries and sort them for our family.

Mr. Hummingbird was set on a tall perch in hope that Mabel the huntress would not get loose and have a mid-morning snack!

Several minutes later Clare joined me as I checked on him.

He flew to the floor of the gazebo & was trying to separate his tiny wet feathers.

I was so happy to see that!

He eventually started fluttering his wings (what was left of them).

His wings were drying and he was separating them with his little beak.

So cool to witness.

Before our eyes, he fluttered & fluttered

trying to gain height to get out of the gazebo,

then he took off and flew into a patch of pine trees in our yard!

Last night at dinner we witnessed a hummingbird at the hibiscus tree.

I couldn’t believe it was him, but I hope it was.

What 2020 firsts have you’ve witnessed?

In this crazy time I’m sure there are lots of them!

Nothing else to do, so

Just Keep Sewing…

Susan