 In
the last week we've had a hummingbird fly into the gallery and up into
the east skylight. It's happened twice now. He's a ruby
throated and once he's up there he keeps trying to fly out towards the
sky, but the windows don't open and he's stuck there until he drops
from exhaustion.
The first time he flew down and scooted over to the Lynn Taylor scarf that hangs on the wall. He clutched onto it and flopped over from exhaustion .I was easily able to pick him up but he squealed a bit and wouldn't let go of the scarf. So I unhooked the scarf and carried both the bird and the scarf out to the potted plant on the deck. I knew from reading that once they
clutch on in such an exhausted state that they are clamped on as a
reflex reaction until they recover. I had just laid the scarf
over the plant when he took off. He was probably big for a hummer but he was so delicate that I could hardly detect any weight from him. The feathers on his back were iridescent green and when I peeked under his chin the feathers were shimmering red. I held him so that his beak was inside one of the million bell flowers. I had no idea if he sipped or not but I was watching as he lazily blinked his half closed eyes. When he took off it was right up and over the building. The second time he flew in the gallery it was right around the time when Emily came home from school. She and I were waiting for him to tire and fly down, but he was flying up there in the skylight for close to 15 minutes. Terry even tried to lure him down by taping some bell flowers to the end of his walking stick and holding it up to the skylight. That didn't work, the hummer may have taken a quick sip but he wasn't following it. Terry got tired of holding the walking stick. So Emily and I kept vigil.
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Soon
after, the hummer fell from exhaustion and landed on top of the
jewelry case. I went over to pick him up and Emily went to get
Terry. He didn't squeal this time when I picked him up, he
totally collapsed. I carried him out to the bell plant, it was a
bit breezy and he wasn't holding onto anything I was afraid that the
wind would just blow him out of my hand, so I created a wind block by
cupping my other hand over him a bit. I tried to revive him by
placing his beak into the flowers. I have no idea if he sipped
but his eyes fluttered open and he spread his wings as a means to
support himself. We were able to see each feather. There
really weren't many of the flight feathers, and they were so gossamer
and delicate. He eventually took flight and was caught in a
breeze which took him way up over the tree tops but he managed to get
himself over to a maple on the west end of the property. Hope
he's ok!