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!
