Hummingbird Removal Made Easy
By Animal Care Coordinator & Intern Coordinator Jennifer Taylor
Wild Care received a panicked call from a chef at a Wellfleet Restaurant.
A hummingbird was inside their outer porch eating area. They were opening for dinner in 5 minutes. The bird was unable to find its way out and the restaurant crew was too busy to continue trying to help it. The chef, Becky, knew we could help. She has been a volunteer for Wild Care and continues to supply us with “seagull snacks” every summer.
Our rescue volunteer Peter K was called because he lived very near to the restaurant and time was of the essence. Hummingbirds will not survive long in this situation. Without food for their super- fast metabolism they lose strength and dehydrate quickly.
Peter arrived with nets and his hummingbird feeder. Pursuing the bird with a net did not work. Every time Peter almost caught him there were wires in the way or some other obstruction where the bird could escape. He called me for advice. Hanging the hummingbird feeder in the doorway was all I could think of. That plan did not go over well with the restaurant manager since that doorway was so busy. So, I told Peter that the bird would eventually exhaust itself, and it will drop down somewhere and then can be picked up and hopefully revived.
I heard back from Peter soon after. All was well!
The compassionate people at Van Rensselaer’s did not like the latter possibility of the bird dropping from exhaustion, and allowed the bird feeder to be hung in the entryway. Almost instantly the bird took a drink and was gone!
Current patient. Ruby-throated Hummingbird juvenile. Image by Kerry Reid.
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17 June, 2023
Wild Care to Host a Baby Shower for Wildlife on Saturday, June 17th in Eastham
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14 May, 2023
Mother’s Day Wild Care E-Cards!
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28 April, 2023
GROWING UP WILD April 7-28, 2023
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Wild Care has a state-of-the-art seabird therapy pool, which allows seabirds and waterfowl to exercise on running water. This will help our bird friends recover more quickly so they can get back to their watery habitats!