Hummingbird Hospital

Well, Ruby the hummingbird is still with us three days after we found her injured on the driveway. She is self-feeding now from a little Harry Potter magic seed terrarium I found in the kids room. It's just the right size.



I put some sticks in with her and removed her from the box to a towel on the table outside. She sat out there for a half hour in the sun and she seemed to perk up. She listened to the birds all around us and seemed more alert to her surroundings. A shoe box is no place for a hummingbird.

Unfortunately, she still can't fly. She was making many attempts but couldn't get any air. I read online that hummingbirds can't walk, so that explains a lot. The sticks I gave her worked well and she side-stepped along them to the sugar-water feeder. I had to cover her with an old wicker outdoor table...as soon as she saw it coming she flapped to escape. Poor her.

I have a call into an animal hospital to see if they'll care for her. The Trevor Zoo in Millbrook can look at her on Thursday. I hope she can make it until then feeding on just sugar water. She needs a protein source like squished bugs or small fruit flies. I finally evicted fruit flies from my kitchen last month and now, it turns outt, I need them.

See more photos and video here.

Related: http://postcardsfromthewoods.blogspot.com/2007/05/hummingbirds-new-home.html