My Incrediable Encounter with a Hummingbird!!

I had the most incrediable experience involving a hummingbird yesterday that I just have to share it with my Gather friends!!

I was sitting outside in my screened porch talking with my daughter on the phone.  I noticed two hummingbirds battling it out over our hummingbird feeder.  The feeder is attached to my kitchen window right next to the porch.  During the summer months, I usually leave the blind down on that side of the porch next to the feeder as we get the direct sunlight in the late afternoon.

Since it was not a sunny day, I decided that I'd raise up the blind so I could watch the hummer fight going on around the feeder.  After raising the blind, I sat back down and continued talking to my daughter on the phone.

All of a sudden, I see a hummingbird coming directly at the screen in front of me and the next thing I see is the hummer with it's bill clear thru the screen right up to it's face!!!  I couldn't believe my eyes!  And all I could say to my daughter on the phone was, "Oh my gosh, there's a hummer stuck in the screen!"

Yes, the poor little thing was stuck!  It would revive up it's motor, so to speak, and attempt to back up, but at the same time it would gap it's bill open alittle.  It was enough to keep the bill from going back thru the tiny whole in the screen.  As I debated whether to try gently pushing the bill thru, the now desperate little hummer attempted a couple more times to revive up it's motor and back up.  On about the fourth attempt as I sat in astonishment, it finally realized it needed to keep it's mouth shut in order to free itself!  Once free, it buzzed off as if nothing had happened!

What I figured out is that with the blind down, the hummer couldn't see the feeder without coming around the side of the screened porch.  But after I raised the blind, the hummer feeder was in view from anywhere in the backyard.  I think after chasing another hummer away it was in a mad dash back to the feeder and decided to take the most direct route... right thru the screen porch!!

I'm just so glad it didn't hurt itself (or rip my screen).  Oh,  and of course, I didn't have my camera with me on the porch to get a photo!!  I almost ALWAYS have it with me... but the one time I really, really could have gotten a very unique photo... well, that's life!  So you'll just have to be satified with a photo of the same hummer sitting on my butterfly bush instead!  It looks pretty proud of itself, even sticking it's tongue out at me!!!

What an experience!!