Spring 2006 - Baby Hummers - Lindsay Wildlife Hospital

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whimsicaldeb
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Spring 2006 - Baby Hummers - Lindsay Wildlife Hospital

Post by whimsicaldeb » March 15th, 2006, 12:42 pm

This is where I volunteer ... and these are some of the baby hummers that have been coming in for a bit now. Be sure to click on Audio Slideshow: Humming in the winter (Flash) from the link below to hear & see the slide show.

http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cct ... 102693.htm

Wed, Mar. 15, 2006
Beating the breeding rush
By Denis Cuff
CONTRA COSTA TIMES

WALNUT CREEK - Sick bay at one of California's largest wildlife hospitals is nearly empty of babies during winter, with one tiny exception.

One of the smallest of birds -- the Anna's hummingbird -- undertakes the rigors of hatching and raising young in the harsh cold in January, February and March, when most wildlife is lying low.

You might think it would take a bigger being to challenge nature's clock.

But once again this year, Anna's hummingbirds, which newly hatched are about the size of a human fingernail, are the first wildlife babies of the season to show up at the Lindsay Wildlife Museum in Walnut Creek.

"The smallest hatch the earliest," said Susan Heckly, wildlife rehabilitation director of the museum, which sees 6,000 animals a year. "The hummers are very hearty. Sometimes they need our help, though."

Young birds fall or are blown out of nests woven from leaves, plants and spider web silt.

People pruning trees or cleaning walls and windows inadvertently knock down nests clinging to branches or houses.

Anna's hummingbirds, a common Bay Area bird, are most easily recognized by the brilliant ruby throat and head of the male.

These small birds have a method behind their odd timing for parenthood: It minimizes competition. Baby hummingbirds are less likely to be eaten by larger birds that are less active during the coldest and wettest months, biologists say.

Babies are less likely to starve, too. Adult hummingbirds face less competition from other birds in the hunt for small insects and flower nectar to feed babies.

"Hummers need to find a lot of food to raise their young. The babies eat about every 20 or 30 minutes," said Pam Nave, a Lindsay wildlife rehabilitation supervisor.

The small birds may also be adjusting to the proliferation of non-native trees and plants that blossom in California in January and February.

"From an evolutionary standpoint, the Anna's hummers are hedging their bets," said Doug Bell, wildlife biologist with the East Bay Regional Park District. "If they don't succeed early in breeding, they can try later. They're taking full advantages of the opportunities afforded by our temperate climate."

Many hummingbirds leave the Bay Area to breed.

The Anna's, however, sticks around year-round, making itself a familiar figure at backyard feeders.

The Lindsay typically gets about 200 Anna's hummingbirds a year, most of them babies.

A brother and sister at the museum last week were typical refugees.

Someone remodeling a Concord house didn't see the nest until scraping it off a window.

The nests are easy to miss because their opening is about the size of a silver dollar.

As she fed the birds through a syringe, Nave was surprised when one of the youngsters took off in the hospital exam room.

"First flight," she called out. "Turn off the lights. Close the door."

Someone else shouted, "Don't let it get near the air vent."

Hospital workers scurried about, netted the bird and returned it to a counter for more feeding.

Lindsay wildlife experts say it's OK for people to try to put fallen babies back in their nests but advise against trying to feed the young hummingbirds.

The babies need to eat every 30 minutes or less with a special, high-protein diet.

When they reach 25 or 26 days old, Anna's hummingbirds are mature enough to leave the nest in the wild.

Lindsay uses home-care volunteers to keep the birds a little longer, letting the youngsters practice flying in aviaries before being released.

"They're very curious, very sociable birds," Nave said. "They're also very tenacious. They will fiercely defend their territory. If a (backyard) feeder runs out of nectar, the hummers will fly up to people and let them know with loud clicks."

---end of article

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abcrystcats
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Post by abcrystcats » March 26th, 2006, 1:41 am

That was a GREAT article -- thanks for posting it!

I admire your friend Pam Nave. I tried and tried to sex finches, but if it weren't for the distinguishing plumage patterns, I would have been clueless. I can't tell the difference.

That must be one tiny syringe you feed them with, and HOW do you catch a hummingbird in flight? Especially one that small? Is your "net" a piece of pantyhose? LOL.

I have read a bit about those hummingbirds before.

Your people are working very hard to support the species -- a feeding every HALF HOUR? Sheesh. And I thought bottle babies were high-maintenance.

Please post more about your work, Deb, I would love to read it!

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abcrystcats
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Post by abcrystcats » March 26th, 2006, 1:47 am

If a (backyard) feeder runs out of nectar, the hummers will fly up to people and let them know with loud clicks."
I'll bet this causes a lot of confusion among casual passers-by who don't know WHY the birds are clicking at them! Or do they recognize specific people as feeders and only pester them?

The foxes in the park where my uncle and used to walk became quite unafraid of all the people because a few were feeding them. They knew who the feeders were, but reacted to people with a general sense of confidence after that. I can't help thinking that this is a USEFUL adaptive behavior we are teaching them -- something that will help the species to survive while we busily overpopulate and destroy the planet.

What do you think?

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whimsicaldeb
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Post by whimsicaldeb » March 27th, 2006, 1:02 am

I admire your friend Pam Nave. I tried and tried to sex finches, but if it weren't for the distinguishing plumage patterns, I would have been clueless. I can't tell the difference.
~laughing~

Neither can she and that's not what she's doing despite what the caption said. She's checking the hummer's skeleton and condition of it's body and feathers, and she continues by checking the skin underneath for wounds/punctures etc., by gently blowing on the downy feathers.

But of course the person taking the picture and the reporter doesn't know this, nor think to ask (I assume) and simple assumes she's determining it's sex [something impossible (for humans) to do without testing] and that is what ends up being printed.

Last year our local paper ran another article with a color picture of one of the supervisors feeding a fledgling scrub jay … obvious blue feathers and all, and the caption underneath said she was feeding a robin! We all roared over that one! :lol:

Ahhh well... it reminds me how I shouldn't believe everything I read in the papers as gospel.
That must be one tiny syringe you feed them with, and HOW do you catch a hummingbird in flight? Especially one that small? Is your "net" a piece of pantyhose? LOL.
That's a 1cc syringe w/o a needle, and with a small special plastic tip added on to lengthen. It is small.

We catch all birds by turning off the lights - birds don't fly in the dark and will land as soon as we turn off the lights. And then we can catch them, usually with no more than with our gentle hand(s) ... but, darken room or not, they can still see us and some (older, wiser birds) will take off again even in the darkened room, but only for short distances ... and for those types yes we use fine mesh bird nets of varying sizes.

The majority of the time we get them with our hands though. Part of all basic training is how to properly catch & hold birds - all birds, large to small with our hands. But hummers are soooo small, we usually leave them to 'the pros' and because they are so experienced, they simply cup them gently.

If a (backyard) feeder runs out of nectar, the hummers will fly up to people and let them know with loud clicks."

I'll bet this causes a lot of confusion among casual passers-by who don't know WHY the birds are clicking at them! Or do they recognize specific people as feeders and only pester them?

Well, my outside wild birds only pester me... they even seek me out to let me know when something is empty ~ including bunching up and looking in at me in bed in the mornings! When Cal stirs, gets up to get coffee and such ... they don't make much extra noise ... but when they see me get up in the mornings ~ CHATTER, CHATTER, CHATTER! It's amazing. And yes, my hummers will tut at me where ever I'm at - be it at the kitchen window, office window, or bedroom window ... and they've even come and tutted at me in the front yard as well.

They're very intelligent. Temple said that as well, in her book. In fact, when she was writing about the srub jays & crows - I was laughing and going, yep-yep-yep out loud as I was reading.
The foxes in the park where my uncle and used to walk became quite unafraid of all the people because a few were feeding them. They knew who the feeders were, but reacted to people with a general sense of confidence after that. I can't help thinking that this is a USEFUL adaptive behavior we are teaching them -- something that will help the species to survive while we busily overpopulate and destroy the planet.

What do you think?
I'm not sure.

At Lindsay they teach us to NOT socialize with the animals, not to socialize them to humans- for their own protection. And that I agree with 100%. As a whole, we humans tend to be 'nasty' creatures, and a healthy fear of humans is necessary for their own safety and survival.

However ... even when we don’t try to socialize them ~ they still key on us. I mean, how can they not? They share this world with us. And we are another animal, sharing space, like cats – and foxes and all the rest. Plus we're powerful predators. So or course they will be keeping an eye of us.

When I home care my wild scrubbers ... as they age - they naturally begin to pull away - even in the cage. I don't have to do anything to make that happen, other than not make an effort to socialize them to me. I don't hold them, nor talk to them beyond cleaning their cage, getting their food.

And yet, they can still tell me from the rest of my family, and they show me a trust they don't show others when I take them back into the hospital for any needed rechecks.

The same as the wild birds do.

They have adapted, and they show time & again how very adaptable they can be (both my home care birds and the wild birds) - but I don't think we've taught them that (to adapt) - I think that's their own, innate ability. So I’d say their confidence, which I agree with you is there, comes from their own success from adapting to us – but does that including being able to tell which humans are less predatory (?) in nature, from others? I don’t know.... laying food traps is still an effective way to trap an animal, for good or ill.

I don’t know if I’m explaining myself well or not on this. Hope so! It's getting late, so I'll post more to your reply tomorrow.

That's a darn good question, Cat ... is contact with us (even in kind forms) really good for them, or not.

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abcrystcats
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Post by abcrystcats » March 29th, 2006, 2:49 am

Man! That's a bunch of great answers.

Deb, it cracks me up that Pam can't tell the difference. Does that mean I've been snowed by all the bird books and bird experts who say IT'S SO SIMPLE and claim that any jerk can tell the difference between a male (tiny) bird and a female(tiny) bird? I thought I was losing it.

I could never tell and relied on sex-specific plumage in all cases.

Now, can I tell if a tiny bird is well-nourished or not? You bet I can do that.

Turning off the lights. A good ploy, but then how do you see the bird? I had always relied on tiring them out in the light, and a towel or net. It's very stressful for the bird, admittedly, but I seldom let one get away. And I was OK (not good, just OK) at getting them back. I suppose if there are lots of people the odds are higher ....

Yeah, birds, all creatures, are a hell of a lot smarter than we give them credit for. Your stories about them gathering to watch you wake up in the morning don't surprise me a bit!! I'm STILL trying to figure out why I wake up at precisely 6:40 every morning, in spite of the fact that my alarm doesn't go off till seven and I DON'T hear any noises! I think it's a CAT conspiracy, since they all share the bed with me....
As a whole, we humans tend to be 'nasty' creatures, and a healthy fear of humans is necessary for their own safety and survival.
Hey, nasty or not, there are six billion of us, and how many of them?? There are a few nasty humans,but how many do know wo would say, "Aww, isn't that cute?"If a fox came out and posed for the camera or begged for some food?

How did dogs and cats get to like us?

I'm not saying that this is a GOOD thing. I'd far rather our world were larger or the human population much SMALLER, but if animals expect to survive while we glut the planet they've got to learn about US. You are doing your hummingbirds a huge favor by teaching them that humans mean FOOD. We may be nasty, but most of us can't resist the appeal of a tiny creature with a cute begging habit.

Learning to like people is actually evolving as a survival trait among various species. Just check out any squirrels or birds you see hanging around outdoor restaurants or fast food haunts.

That is a good thing for THEM.

And yet I still think that animals have an innate feeling for "traps." Just like you said. They pick up cues, sense differences in the atmosphere, have long memories. I talked to Calypso and she's eating the wet food, but I can't talk to Nefer. She's wild and she doesn't listen. She still waits till I am long gone before she goes for her share.

I don't know if it's innate or learned, dammit. I only know that if they don't familiarize themselves with us, there will be trouble for them. I wish it wasn't so.

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