Luckily, the spider was no where to be seen. I plucked the hummingbird from the web and took him inside. A Banana Spider's web is very thick and tenacious. It took some time to get the strand of web off the hummingbird's wings and feet. At one point, I had to use tweezers to pull the web away. After what seemed hours, the web was removed and the hummingbird was set free.
The other time was more recent. It happened last Saturday during the thunderstorms we were experiencing from Fay. We have a hummingbird feeder hanging beneath the back porch. During the storm, even with all the wind and rain, there were three hummingbirds that would rush in for a quick drink.
I was amazed they kept coming and going with the weather the way it was. I suppose since the rain had made a mess of things, the feeder was the only place for the hummingbirds to get nourishment.
Regardless, the smallest of the trio was taking his turn "drinking". After receiving his fill, he took off from the feeder. I don't know if it was the large water drops coming from the roof, the wind, or just the fact his wings were so wet but the poor thing did a nosedive straight into a fairly deep mud puddle.
I ran into the downpour and scooped the hummingbird up. I can only imagine how frightened he was. My own heart was racing a mile a minute as I gently held him.
Once inside, I got a washcloth and dried him. Eventually, he was able to take flight and decided to check out the fluorescent light in the laundry room. After a few minutes, the rain stopped and I released him outdoors. He flew a short distance away and decided to take a break on a nearby tree branch.
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Comments: 54 ( 1 removed by Renda B~surviving the storm by dancing in the rain. )
If anyone nurses a hummingbird for a prolonged period, they require a nectar with additional nutrients, such as protein (which they would normally get from eating the small bugs floating in nectar).
Here's a where you can find the "complete" nectar mix used in zoos:
nutritionally complete nectar mix
I have a house in Colorado that I specifically setup to attract hummers and now they nest right outside one of the windows and return every year like clockwork...
{smiles}
Rene
Thanks so much for posting this to
my group
http://friendsofdanh.gather.com.
Our goal is to help you further your exposure and to support other gather members.
Thank you for your compliment. I think he would have drowned if I had not seen him.
Ann,
Thanks for coming by and for the great link. I printed it out for future use.
Joanne,
Thank you. The first time, I didn't have any one to take the pics. Luckily, this time, Allen was here and able to handle the camera for me.
Joe,
It is always good to have you drop by! Thank you.
James,
That is awesome! I would like to hear more about your home and the hummers nest. Maybe see some photos. I have been trying to find the nest around here, but they are difficult to track sometimes.
Destiny,
They really are, aren't they? Thanks for coming by.
Sue,
Thank you and you're welcome :)
Rene,
Thank you for stopping by and for the feature! I really appreciate it. Sometimes I think I should have went to vet school instead of nursing.
Chelsea.
Me too. I love to watch their stunts and flying capabilities. They are amazing.
Nana,
Thank you for your kind compliment. I appreciate you stopping by here.
Selene,
Many thanks to you.
Elaine,
You're welcome. Thank you for coming by.
Kevin,
Thank you for the compliment :) and for coming by to take a look.
Kay,
Glad you could make it by here. Hope you guys stay safe. Watch out for the flooding. Call me if you need anything. I love you all too.
Dan,
Thanks for having a place to post this to :)
They must know you won't hurt them. As they keep coming back.
Thank you so much for the pictures Renda.
http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.jsp?articleId=281474976832647
U wishing you laughter
thanks
Thank you.
Minipin,
I think they know :) Thanks for coming by.
Denise,
I haven't really had a lot of time to be on here and therefore haven't participated in the summerpics promo. Thank you anyway though. I appreciate your coming by for a peek here.
Sandy,
Thank you very much.
Glome,
Thank you so much for your kind words. The hummingbirds are amazing to watch and I enjoy spending time outdoors. They are filled with energy and are very acrobatic :)
Bonnie,
I hope you find your feeder and get it out there so you can enjoy the hummingbirds. Thanks for coming by.
Thanks, Sarah.
MC,
They are really quick and it took me a lot of pictures to get some clear shots for some other articles I've posted here. Thanks for stopping by here.
Jennifer,
You're welcome and thanks for dropping in.
Nurse Nancy,
I've written about this in my journal. When I'm gone, the stories will be there for anyone that's interested. Thanks so much for coming by.
Deborah,
You're welcome and thank you for dropping in here. Aren't they amazing to watch?
Marilyn,
Thank you :)
Quinn,
Thank you for the comments and the link. I'm going to take a look at it now.
Vikki,
They are beautiful and I love to watch them. Thanks for coming by and for your nice comment.
Cristina,
Thank you.
Shah,
You don't know how good it is to see you back on here. You'll have to update me on what you've been up to and how you are. See you around Gather :)
Thank you for dropping by.
There's the link, should you be interested lol.
hehehe....Dragonfly must have truly had a message for me :) I'm glad you left it since I had missed it when you first posted anyway. I'll go take a look at the other one now.
Blessings ~
Your Collaborating Friend,
Rene
I love your analogy between a hummingbird and a tiny frail grandmother. That is so true :) Thank you again for the links to both the Hummingbird and Dragonfly. They are both amazing!
Rene,
I'm so glad you came by to see this. Thank you for the compliment. It is good to hear you say such, especially when I'm contemplating a career change. I've been in Nursing for 20 years (well, it will be 20 in October).
Magi,
You are too kind! They are very small and do not get much bigger than what you see in the photos. Although small, they are territorial AND fast. If you have time later, you can peek at my other hummingbird articles and see more photos (some much better than the ones here). Thanks for stopping by :)
Maybe a tattoo Idea... it would be so meaningful!
Great post!
Thank you so very much. I really appreciate your comment and compliment.
Jennifer,
It was, indeed, a magical experience. I'm glad I was there too.
Norah,
You may be on to something there. I could get one of my photos and have them copy the colors and all to match the photo. Thanks for coming by.
Kimber,
Thank you for taking a peek here and for the compliment.
Cassandra,
I do too! I think you nailed it...."right place at the right time". Thanks for stopping by.
I can not imagine it going any faster, but I know the little thing was frightened at first. I'm just glad he continues to be around :)
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