Hummingbird trapped in the garage!
Joey Mills
day. Last week, a male RT hummer flew in the warehouse and absolutely had
no clue as to how to get out!! And the huge door was wide open! It finally
became so exhausted that it allowed one of the guys to pick it up and carry
it outside. It sat on his hand long enough to regain himself, then flew
right off! I couldn't believe it when he told me that, but all the guys
swear to it. Then, this week, they found a dead one in the warehouse.
Evidently, he flew in unnoticed and by morning, when they reopened the
doors, the poor thing had just worn himself out! How sad!!!
We had placed one of those suction hangers with a feeder on it on our glass
entrance door into the dining room so we could watch the little hummers, but
one afternoon .... I opened the door to go out just as one was approaching
the feeder and he ALMOST made it into the house!! I saw him coming and
closed the door in time to keep him from coming in! He wasn't a bit afraid
of me and I would have just died if the poor little thing had become trapped
inside our house! I immediately moved the feeder to a window to prevent
that from happening again.
I don't know if they're unintelligent or just too curious!!
Joey Mills
Mexico, MO
John Hutzler wrote in message <37d07d54...@newsread.cioe.com>...
>Hummingbird trapped in the garage!
>
>A while back someone posted that they had a hummingbird trapped in
>their garage. This seemed a bit silly and I posted that they simply
>had to open the garage door and it would fly out. Well...... I was
>working in my garage today and a hummer flew in. The 2-car overhead
>door was open and I had the back door open; Yet, the hummer was
>feverishly flying up against the ceiling throughout the garage. After
>every few minutes it would land on the door railing up near the
>ceiling. It's beak was spread open and it looked exhausted. I put a
>red gas can outside but this did not help. I then closed the overhead
>door and figured that light through the back door would send it flying
>out. Nope..... I ended up holding a broom up to the ceiling and
>the hummer jumped on. I took it outside and it flew away.
>
>These little guys sure are cute but I don't think that their
>intellegence can be classified as avian mensa.
>
>Regards, John Hutlzer
John Hutzler
Lanny Chambers
(John Hutzler) wrote:
>Hummingbird trapped in the garage!
They seem particularly attracted to the red emergency release handles on
electric openers; you might paint it black. Here's how to get a trapped
bird out quickly and safely:
Close the garage door and get a flashlight. When the bird is hovering over
a clear area of the floor, turn out the light and it will flutter to the
floor (they can't see and don't like to fly in the dark). With the
flashlight, find the bird, scoop it up gently in your bare hands, and take
it outside. It will fly away when it's reoriented. Wash your hands after
handling any wild critter.
>These little guys sure are cute but I don't think that their
>intellegence can be classified as avian mensa.
Too true...but what would you expect from a brain the size of a BB, which
probably also stores the location of every food source on both migration
paths, plus the software to manage their fabulous flight skills, plus
knowledge of what's good to eat, plus countless other pieces of learned
behavior. A hummer's panic instinct is to fly straight up, which is
usually a winning tactic. But millions of years of evolution have not
given them the concept of a "ceiling," and they can't understand what's
preventing them from gaining altitude. When not under stress, they seem to
exhibit more reasoning ability, even cleverness, but once frustrated the
stress level goes up, and instinct takes over.
--
---
Lanny Chambers, St. Louis, USA
http://www.hummingbirds.net/
John Hutzler
Chambers) wrote:
> A hummer's panic instinct is to fly straight up, which is
>usually a winning tactic. But millions of years of evolution have not
>given them the concept of a "ceiling," and they can't understand what's
>preventing them from gaining altitude. When not under stress, they seem to
>exhibit more reasoning ability
Lanny.... This seems to ring really true to me. I've seen several
hummers come into my garage, fly around to check things out and then
zip right back out. I think that a few (or maybe more) may panic and
try to fly UP. Similar to a few people that panic and become
disoreintated in fires or other high-stress situations. A frantic
escape instinct takes place instead of calm simple reasoning. I'm
just glad that the little guy had enough reasoning ability to hop on
my broom so that I could rescue him. :)
My garage opener handle is not red. Hmmm... just had a thought.
Maybe I cay paint cats on my garage ceiling. ;)
Regards, John
Vickie Liska
really close one day. It seems they aren't too afraid of them. Or maybe my
cat is such a sweety. Vickie in MI
John Hutzler <indy1...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:37d1e59...@newsread.cioe.com...
Lanny Chambers
<vncl...@triton.net> wrote:
>Won't work! Hi, John and others, but I saw a hummer checking out my cat
>really close one day. It seems they aren't too afraid of them.
Hummers don't have many natural predators, and so are pretty cocky about
their ability to escape danger. But cats are exotic imports, and not part
of the indigenous predator population for which hummers have evolved
defenses. Cats are quite capable of catching unwary hummingbirds. If you
feed hummers, please keep your cats indoors.
B & A Offenburger
and some very intelligent ones ...
Just like every other species on this planet.
Just a thought,
Amy O
often...@netscape.net
DsM, IA
John Hutzler wrote:
...<>...
> These little guys sure are cute but I don't think that their
> intellegence can be classified as avian mensa.
>
> Regards, John Hutlzer
Vickie Liska
cats.Don't ask about the first year- I spent alot of time chasing the cats
away from the feeders!The time I was refering to- Baby was napping and
minding his own beeswax.He's my only cat that goes outside, and after 10
years of watching me watch birds-he just lays on top of the car and watches
them too!All of my neighbors feed birds too, and we have lots of "stray"
cats roaming around.None of the feeders are bothered. I watch. Vickie in MI
Lanny Chambers <la...@hummingbirds.net> wrote in message
news:lanny-05099...@iits02102.inlink.com...
R Bishop
"Vickie Liska" <vncl...@triton.net> wrote:
>After my first year of feeding birds ALL of my feeders are too high for the
>cats.Don't ask about the first year- I spent alot of time chasing the cats
>away from the feeders!The time I was refering to- Baby was napping and
>minding his own beeswax.He's my only cat that goes outside, and after 10
>years of watching me watch birds-he just lays on top of the car and watches
>them too!All of my neighbors feed birds too, and we have lots of "stray"
>cats roaming around.None of the feeders are bothered. I watch. Vickie in MI
I have one cat who is so stupid she sits under the feeder. Picture this:
Snowy winter day. Obese black Angora cat. Sitting under the feeder.
I decided any bird stupid enough to land in front of that deserves to
be eaten.
Sue
>
>Lanny Chambers <la...@hummingbirds.net> wrote in message
>news:lanny-05099...@iits02102.inlink.com...
>> In article <AouA3.4957$r5.2...@typ11.nn.bcandid.com>, "Vickie Liska"
>> <vncl...@triton.net> wrote:
>>
>> >Won't work! Hi, John and others, but I saw a hummer checking out my cat
>> >really close one day. It seems they aren't too afraid of them.
>>
>> Hummers don't have many natural predators, and so are pretty cocky about
>> their ability to escape danger. But cats are exotic imports, and not part
>> of the indigenous predator population for which hummers have evolved
>> defenses. Cats are quite capable of catching unwary hummingbirds. If you
>> feed hummers, please keep your cats indoors.
>>
>> --
>> ---
>> Lanny Chambers, St. Louis, USA
>> http://www.hummingbirds.net/
>
>
Smoke Often
Die Young
Lanny Chambers
<bis...@ix.netcom.com> wrote:
>I have one cat who is so stupid she sits under the feeder. Picture this:
>Snowy winter day. Obese black Angora cat. Sitting under the feeder.
>I decided any bird stupid enough to land in front of that deserves to
>be eaten.
But it's not stupidity. Rather, we (humans) have introduced a wild card
into the genetic game. As I tried to convey earlier, housecats are not
natural fauna of North America, and many native species (not just birds)
are simply not equipped to counter a predator as deadly as a
cat--predator-prey relationships evolve into balance in time, or the
predators would starve. But evolution has not yet had time to select for
birds with an effective instinctive defense against cats (assuming one
exists), and learning isn't very productive for a bird that will get no
second chance. Eventually--say, in a million years--perhaps the surviving
birds will have evolved sufficient defenses to be in balance with cats.
But somehow I suspect those birds will all be starlings.
In fact, if humans do not accept responsibility for introduction of alien
species, and do not take active steps to control their mistakes, some
common bird species are at great risk of extinction at the paws of our
otherwise-lovable tabbies. Please keep the cats indoors, and out of an
environment that cannot tolerate their destructive habits.
R Bishop
la...@hummingbirds.net (Lanny Chambers) wrote:
>In article <7r304v$6...@dfw-ixnews5.ix.netcom.com>, R Bishop
><bis...@ix.netcom.com> wrote:
>
>>I have one cat who is so stupid she sits under the feeder. Picture this:
>>Snowy winter day. Obese black Angora cat. Sitting under the feeder.
>>I decided any bird stupid enough to land in front of that deserves to
>>be eaten.
>
>But it's not stupidity. Rather, we (humans) have introduced a wild card
>into the genetic game. As I tried to convey earlier, housecats are not
>natural fauna of North America, and many native species (not just birds)
>are simply not equipped to counter a predator as deadly as a
>cat--predator-prey relationships evolve into balance in time, or the
>predators would starve. But evolution has not yet had time to select for
>birds with an effective instinctive defense against cats (assuming one
>exists), and learning isn't very productive for a bird that will get no
>second chance. Eventually--say, in a million years--perhaps the surviving
>birds will have evolved sufficient defenses to be in balance with cats.
The birds in my area are quite good at avoiding cats. Birds in NA are used
to being stalked by small predators. Cats are just a variety of the small
predator.
>But somehow I suspect those birds will all be starlings.
>
>In fact, if humans do not accept responsibility for introduction of alien
>species, and do not take active steps to control their mistakes, some
>common bird species are at great risk of extinction at the paws of our
>otherwise-lovable tabbies. Please keep the cats indoors, and out of an
>environment that cannot tolerate their destructive habits.
My cat spends most of her time eating cat food. She's no danger to the birds.
Sue
>
>--
>---
>Lanny Chambers, St. Louis, USA
>http://www.hummingbirds.net/
Smoke Often
Die Young
Lanny Chambers
<bis...@ix.netcom.com> wrote:
>The birds in my area are quite good at avoiding cats. Birds in NA are used
>to being stalked by small predators. Cats are just a variety of the small
>predator.
This is simply untrue.
>My cat spends most of her time eating cat food. She's no danger to the birds.
I give up. You're in hopeless denial.
R Bishop
la...@hummingbirds.net (Lanny Chambers) wrote:
>In article <7r5l6n$n...@dfw-ixnews10.ix.netcom.com>, R Bishop
><bis...@ix.netcom.com> wrote:
>
>>The birds in my area are quite good at avoiding cats. Birds in NA are used
>>to being stalked by small predators. Cats are just a variety of the small
>>predator.
>
>This is simply untrue.
>
>>My cat spends most of her time eating cat food. She's no danger to the birds.
>
>I give up. You're in hopeless denial.
Sigh. My cats have a very important job to do. They keep my barn free of
rodent pests. Now, I COULD pen them up in cages somewhere, but since the
barn is their home, I doubt very much if they would enjoy that.
This is a farm, not a suburban plat house. Things are a bit different here
than in your little restricted world.
>--
>---
>Lanny Chambers, St. Louis, USA
>http://www.hummingbirds.net/
Sue
Smoke Often
Die Young
B & A Offenburger
Everyone feeling better now?
All in good humor, of course ...
Amy O