A New Friend

Today started out just the same as other days. We got up, ate some cereal, did some sit-ups, vacuumed the rug. The boys got dressed and went outside to play. A little bit later they came and told me that they had found a bird on the ground. They said that they were taking care of it. I said alright and we went to the store. Some of their friends and their grandma had picked up the bird, put it in a bowl with some honey-suckle flowers and put it back in the tree hoping the mother would take the baby back. We got back from the store and it started raining. It rained for about an hour until the boys were able to go back outside to play. I had forgotten about the bird by now, but the boys reminded me when they walked home with the bird in a bowl. I took the bowl and realized they had a humming bird! The poor thing had water in it's bowl from the rain and was wet and cold. I picked it up (I know I shouldn't have) and placed it in my hands. I stood outside to get it warmed up in the sunshine and to start to let it dry. I wanted to see if it was hurt so I turned it onto it's back to check how it's wings would look spread out. I noticed then that he kept getting his feet stuck in his wings. I would untangle them (quite the feat in it's self) and just a little bit later he would get them stuck again! I figured that he was probably hungry, so I found a baby medicine dropper and filled it with some sugar water. I would stick it on his beak and I could see his little tongue just going. It was terrible cute! Eventually he dried enough that his feet stopped getting stuck. Then I decided to take him to the neighbors that had found him to get the whole story. Apparently he had fallen out of his nest and couldn't get back up. The mother had been flying around him trying to help, but to no avail. They had put him in the tree hoping that his mother would substitute the bowl for the nest (as they couldn't find the nest, it being so small). After the rainstorm she didn't come back. In the end we decided to take him to an animal rescue. (The regular vets office wouldn't take him.) We found the only rescue that would take him was in Ogden, so away we went. By the time we were in the car this little bird was ready to explore (we don't have to wonder why he fell out of his nest). My neighbor Jan had to hold him a certain way so that he wouldn't run around the car. We dropped him off and found out that he was only 2 weeks old! He was doing really well when we left so I think he'll be fine, he's just very adventurous! I learned that holding a humming bird is just crazy! It almost feels like nothing is in your hand! He's so soft and his tongue is very cute. Humming birds also go potty alot! I know I am very blessed and lucky to have been able to be so close to a humming bird and I also know that it will never happen again. I love how children will find a hurt animal and the first thing they think about is helping it so that it can live with it's family again!