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How We Saved A Hummingbird. A Once-In-A-Lifetime Opportunity... Perhaps once in some peoples' lifetime, those lucky enough to be ***in the right place at the right time***, can and do save a helpless creature's life. I was in ***that place***, on Thursday, August 30th, at 8:15am. I got into work just before 8, and met with Bob, my Nursery & Greenhouse Assistant, to review the day's activities, since Jennifer, my Horticulturalist, was still on vacation. All the Landscape Crews were out on jobs, and we were the only two remaining staff, at the GC&N Complex. On the way back into my office, I saw a tiny, green, female Hummingbird, barely moving, on the floor, caught in a morass of cobwebs. She'd probably gotten trapped in the main bldg, and spent the night wo/ food or water, got caught in the cobwebs and struggled until she ran out of strength, and just laid back to slowly die, exhausted. She was barely breathing and near death. I carefully scooped her up, and rushed into my office, laid her down on the office's conference table, mixed-up some sugar water, and yelled for Bob to quickly come in and help. I'd been gently pushing her beak into a tipped ramekin of sugar water, but no response. An avid Hummingbird feeder at his home, Bob used a spoon, and then the tip of his finger to coax her into taking some nourishment. Meanwhile, I was *gently and carefully* cleaning the cobweb goo from her tiny feet and feathers. We saw her tiny, bifurcated tongue (looked like a piece of forked sewing thread!) shoot out the end of her beak, and slurp some of the drop, and then another and another sip; slowly she came back to life, and began to get more active. She shook her head, spread out her wings, started moving slowly on the table, and took some more sugar water. Then, with her wings "humming", she rose up, hovered over the conference table, and flew into the window and fell onto the windowsill. I carefully scooped her up again, and rushed her outside and set her on the GC&N's front steps. Perched on my open hand, she again rose up and hovered for a few seconds, and then ascended into the air, and we watched her fly away. Big smiles, a high-five and an "Atta Girl!", from the both of us. About two hours later, Bob was watering some potted plant material under the west Lath Louse, when he saw a tiny green hummingbird flying around him and the plants. We'd both like to believe that it was her, coming back to say, "thanks". Bob's bringing in one of his extra red Hummingbird Feeders and a jar of clear, pre-mixed sugar water, in on Friday, and we'll install it on the Lath House, for her and her friends/ family. Something like this happens along, once, maybe twice,***in a lifetime***, and I was most honored and fortunate to be part of it, and help save that tiny creature. On a sad note: over my 17 years, I've found 4-5 larger, dead Hummingbirds in my retail bldg and main greenhouse, who didn't survive until morning, when I could rescue them. I've netted 2 or 3, in that same period, and released them safely outside. I just wish I had a "full, start-to-finish" set of pics for you to see, but I just didn't think about it, until Bob began trying to revive her, and she began taking nourishment, on her own, once again. Getting the creature out of the cobwebs and trying to save it, was my first and only thought, not pictures. Actually, I was lucky to get the four shots that I did, as things happened very quickly. Thanks for your help, Bob. The tiny Hummingbird's in pretty bad shape here, and Bob takes over the feeding, while I document her struggle for life. I'm yelling at her: "Fight, dammit!" and "Don't give up!" and "Drink, dammit, drink!" She's perking-up, after getting a couple of *slurps* of 4-to-1 sugar water, for nourishment. A couple more *slurps* with a bifurcated tongue as thin as a piece of sewing thread. Just amazing. (Okay, I'm a "meanie" for not giving the HB a bite of that sub, on my conference room table! Heh!) Here, she's almost 100% again, and continues drinking the sugar water from Bob's finger. Just as I put the camera down, she flaps her wings, rises-up, and hovers over the table. Bravo! Other pictures from the Garden Center ©1996 - 2007. All Rights Reserved Worldwide. John Shelley's Garden Center & Nursery, Inc. 13579 Winterstown Road, Felton, PA. 17322-8522 vox: (717) 246-1414 1-800-828-3405 (Pa-Md) fax: (717) 246-2170 Last updated 8/30/07. 13,565,115 visitors since 1/26/03.