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| Art by Eva Getman |
The best thing for the baby bird would be getting back to his nest. We began to search the surrounding trees for the little gray cup woven with spider silk where the baby bird must have hatched. As we looked, a female hummingbird started to fly around us. She was peeping incessantly, and our little guy started calling back. It was clear she was his mother. She was very protective of the baby bird and scolded us fiercely. She darted in and out of the tree branches above us. Sometimes, she came to eye level and stared us down. My Dad carefully followed her movements when she retreated to the branches, and he was able to spot the nest on a branch above my neighbor’s roof!
We could hardly believe we had found the nest! It was so well camouflaged against the gray bark. Even so, the question still remained: Could we reach the nest? My Dad got a ladder and climbed up on the roof to inspect the nest and the branch. He felt confident that, once they were on the roof, he could put the little bird safely back in the nest. For the trip up the ladder, we padded a small box with a T-shirt for the baby bird to ride in. My Dad picked the little guy up and as the bird squirmed in his hand our hearts stopped; he only had one wing. On one side a wing stretched out to a full extent, the other was only a small stump that flapped helplessly in my Dad’s hand.
Our emotions quickly shifted from elation to shock and disappointment. We had found the nest, but we couldn’t put him back in without a wing. He would never be able to fledge, and his mother would have to fly south for the winter. We knew he needed medical help, so we put him in the box we had meant for the climb up the ladder and carried him home. He began his begging calls on the walk, peeping almost nonstop the whole way home.
When we got home, we did some research. Our local rehab center was closed for the day, but their website had advice on what to do for an injured animal. My Dad also contacted out-of-state rescue and rehab centers to get their advice. They all said to take the little hummingbird to a rehab center as soon as we could and gave instructions for what to do until then. We also mentioned that the little bird had been calling non-stop since we put him in the box; these were the calls he would have used to ask his Mom for food. Normally, you do not feed injured animals. However, a rehabber told us that a little bit of sugar water could help our little guy calm down and maybe get some sleep.
Following their advice, I filled a pipette with sugar water and tried to feed the little hummingbird. At first, the small bird did not want the pipette anywhere near his face. Then, when he realized it had sugar water in it, he opened his mouth wide and expected me to drop the water down his throat. The drops were too big, though, so in the end the little guy had to stick his beak up the pipette and drink from it like a flower. I had to continually change the pressure on the pipette to keep the water at drinking level. Personally, I think I made a pretty good flower.
As the rehabber had said, with a little bit of sugar water, he seemed to settle and stopped begging. Following the additional advice for injured birds, we put a cover over the box and placed it in a dark, warm, quiet, and safe space. He was quiet, and we hoped that was a good sign. It was hard not to check on him, though. We had no idea if he would survive the night and no way of knowing if he was doing worse. To distract ourselves, we thought about names. After some deliberation, we decided on Lucky because we thought a happy name was in order.
In the morning, we uncovered his box and were relieved to find him awake and alive. We carefully carried Lucky to the car, and with our neighbor, drove out to our local rehab center, Greenwood Wildlife Rescue. When we got to the building, the rehabilitators immediately took Lucky into the back room. I was nervous as I waited for a report on Lucky’s condition. After a minute or two, one of the nurses came out and told us that Lucky had sat down right away and started asking for food. She said it looked like Lucky had a prior fracture in his wing that had stopped it from growing properly. The nurse said that, by bringing him to Greenwood, we had given Lucky the best chance possible. We got Lucky’s patient number so we could call and ask about him in a few days. I felt very hopeful driving away from the rehab center. I knew Lucky was in good hands, and I knew that Greenwood would do whatever they could for him.
Sadly, when we called to inquire about Lucky, we were informed that he had been euthanized. Greenwood told us that Lucky had been very malnourished, and with a wing like his, he would never be able to fly. A life without wings is not really a life for a hummingbird. They have almost no leg strength, and Lucky would have been very immobile. We do not yet have a way to make a domestic life without wings worthwhile for a bird like Lucky. I loved Lucky very much, and I will always miss him, but I am thankful to Greenwood for giving him a peaceful passing.
I am very grateful for Greenwood’s help and advice. They provide guidance for people who have found injured animals, not just for how to help, but when to help. Often, animals are in less danger than we think and interfering can do more harm than good.
After this experience with Lucky, I was eager to find a way to help save wild lives. I am too young to volunteer, but I was delighted to find that there are many other ways to help. Greenwood accepts donations, but they also have a wish list of items they need such as fruit and nuts, cleaning supplies, and building material. When the public donates these items, it lets the center use their funds to buy things like medicine and special foods that aren’t easy to get.
I hope my readers will take an opportunity to get to know and support the rehab centers near them. I have posted Greenwood’s website below, along with two other Boulder area rehab centers, if you are interested in learning more.
Thank you for reading,
Love Eva.
