Being chronically sick has given me a chance to notice things that would have been missed in the rush of the 24/7 working world. For example, my front doorstep/patio has it's own little world. I live in suburb of a very large city, but my single story condo faces a small greenbelt . During the late winter, this area is populated with hundreds of hummingbirds on their way to and from North and South America. This also happens to be their mating season. Hummingbirds are very territorial, and will fight each other for access to food and mates.
The first winter after we moved in, I noticed that exhausted hummingbirds were dropping on my doorstep. Since I knew nothing about these tiny marvels, and I did not want them to die on my doorstep, I decided to learn what I could do to help them. I contacted a lady who works for the San Diego Zoo. She came to my home and gave me a crash course in hummingbird urgent care. Now, when I see a downed hummer, all I have to do is hold it gently, and put a dropper of nectar-water over it's beak. If you see downed hummer, it's because it is exhausted and has low blood sugar. If they don't get nectar, they slip into a coma and die. Hummingbirds are not afraid of humans.... they don't struggle when you pick them up. After they receive enough nectar, they will fly out of your hands, off to their next adventure.
The photo above is of me feeding a female (the males are brightly colored) hummingbird. The length of time it takes to revive a hummingbird depends on how depleted their blood sugar is. It can take a few minutes, or a few hours. It doesn't matter to me. All I have is time....
Wow, this is fascinating. I love hummingbirds and this is great information. Even though we don't have these birds in Florida, I see them when we travel and am always struck by their beauty, their tininess, their apparent joy.,
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