This morning brought another drama to Hanson Island, fortunately not at all like yesterday’s terrible news.  Quite the opposite.   I was opening up the netting fences that protect our garden from deer, out by the bathtub talking to Helena on the phone, when I noticed a tiny female Rufus humming bird clinging to the netting nearby, absolutely still.  I thought she was dead.  My thoughts immediately went to the possibility that she was the mum who has a nest across the bay.  How sad.

I stroked her gently and noticed a slight movement in her breast and realised she was alive.  I turned her upside down to see if I could free her feet and realised there wasn’t a chance, without hurting her.  I got some scissors and cut her free, then took her inside and put a her inside a basket lined with paper towel, and shone a lamp on her for warmth.

After a bit, she started to breathe and I felt hopeful.

I talked to Helena again and mixed up a solution of sugar and water to feed her.  Her beak was on the paper towel I’d laid her on, so I used an eye dropper to put a few drops of the solution at the very end of her beak.  The solution soaked into the paper.  A short while later she showed more movement and her tail feathers started to come together.  I gave her a few more drops of the sugar water solution, and then her beak lifted off the paper.

I offered more of the solution in a drop at the end of her beak, and was amazed by the sight of her tongue darting out to gobble it up,  A short while later, as I was trying to figure out whether her feet were still entangled, she suddenly flew out of the basket.  I lost sight of her in the ceiling and couldn’t find her at first.  Then I heard her as she flew again and landed on a window ledge.  I was able to catch her in my hands and took her outside.

After a brief rest, she flew off into a nearby rhodo, where she rested some more.  Then she was gone.

Whew, and what a lovely way to start this day!