Friday, August 15, 2014

Warning!


Yesterday I came home to a sad sight with my hummingbirds.
There on one of the feeders was a hummingbird
hanging upside down!
I gasped!!
Ran into the house and literally dropped my arm full of things
and ran back out side to help this little guy.
It appeared to me that he was not alive,
but I could not get his tiny feet to budge from the feeder.
As I began to try and release him I could see his tail feathers slightly moving
and thought, wonderful, he's alive!
I managed to break him free and place him on my finger,
but his breathing was very shallow...
I ran into the house and got a glass of sugar water
and placed his beak into the water...Nothing...
He wouldn't even open his beak.

On my way home I was singing the hymn " Higher Ground"
so the tune was fresh in my mind.
I love to make up songs to other tunes 
and so I began to sing a song to this little guy to that tune.
~*~
These were the words I was singing to the chorus of Higher Ground:
Lord give this bird the strength to fly,
I know You can, I'm begging You,
It's all I ask of You dear Lord. 
Lord lift him up to higher ground.
~*~
This may seem strange, but as I sang to that little guy
he became stronger...
His wings began to flutter,
in fact, strong enough that I could feel the 
wind from them on my face.
There was hope...
He even opened his eyes a little bit...
I cried...I prayed...I sang...and I placed his beak in the water 
for two hours straight...
What was so odd was that he never opened his beak
or placed his tongue in the water.
~*~
During the two hours I sat on the front deck
doing all that I could think of to save this little guy
I had the blessed opportunity to examine closely
this beautiful creation of God.
The feathers were amazing in color and size,
his feet were like Velcro clutching my finger
and so tiny to the touch.
Hummingbirds are so quick that
 you never really get a chance to see them close up.
But for me...What a blessing!
It was a bitter-sweet experience.
~*~ 
At 11:00 last evening he died in the sweet little nest I had prepared for him.
He didn't make it.
God's ways are not our ways are they?

What happened????
We may never know.
 My dear Stephanie looked up on line
why hummingbirds hang upside down.
Turns out, there is something called "tongue-fungal- infection" in hummingbirds
and it can be fatal.
It is caused by not washing the feeders, or letting the sugar water sit in the sun too long.
I have always been so careful about these things.
Was it me? Did this little guy catch it at another feeder?
Questions I may never know the answers to.
I am sharing this with you so you can be warned of the fatal outcome
that can happen to these precious hummingbirds.
Here is the link that Stephanie went to.
I hope it helps you to better know how to care for your birds.
~*~

Dear Heavenly Father.
This is the day which You have made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it.
Many things come our way,
things we are not always ready for,
but You, O Lord, are in control of it all.
Praise Your Holy Name!
Amen.


~Be Blessed~
Debbie

31 comments:

Stephanie said...

Oh Mom, I have already heard this story, but reading your words and seeing the precious pictures (especially the one of him nestled in your hair) brought tears to my eyes. Isn't it funny how attached we can get with a sweet animal?! My heart aches hurts for you because I know how attached you got to this little hummer.

Great post about letting others know about the infection hummingbirds can get. After reading that this morning I went out and gave my hummingbird feeder a good clean.

Love you!

Wanda said...

His eye is on the sparrow and also on the hummingbird. I must say this brought tears to my eyes too, as we had a similar experience with a hurt sparrow. You have that little bird God's grace, and God won't forget that. Thank you for sharing you sad, but beautiful picture story.

Patty Sumner said...

As I read your post I just knew he would make it...so sad! I am glad you were able to enjoy the beauty of this little one if only for a while..Thank you for being such a tender heart and for your drive to rescue him. Sweet story and good info. I have feeders but I have never hung the out. Now I know to be very clean and careful.. Thanks for the info. Blessings!

GARAGE SALE GAL said...

I think it's so cool that you were able to hold the little guy and try to help him...a little blessing.
I clean my feeder each week. I have heard that the heat/bad water can be fatal to them.
warmly,
deb

Deborah Montgomery said...

thank you for this good information Debbie. I will make doubly sure to keep things clean and fresh for the hummers.

Your story was so sweet and touching. What a beautiful thing you did for this little bird. I'm sorry he didn't make it, but we know that He knows even when a sparrow (hummer) falls.

Little Birdie Blessings said...

I'm sorry you lost the little bird Debbie, but what a blessing to hold and examine him up close. What a tender heart you must have to take the time to try and revive this delicate creature. ~ Abby

Joyful said...

What a touching story and how sad the little bird didn't make it. Such a beauty too. Hummingbirds are such delicate, pretty things. I think I've only been privileged to see them once or twice fluttering so gently in the air. x

Betty said...

I am so sad he did not make it. I have never seen a hummingbird that close, he was very beautiful. You did all you could and for that his last minutes on earth was for the better. I do not have a feeder for them, but I did not know you had to take so much care of the feeder. I will remember that in case I do get one. Thank you for sharing this with us.

Red Rose Alley said...

Oh Debbie, this is a beautiful story. And although he didn't make it, you tried your very best to make this precious hummingbird survive. I can't tell you how much I loved your story, as the hummingbird is my beloved bird, for so many reasons. I put out a bird feeder one day, and none came around, and I decided to just let nature take its course. Once I stopped using the bird feeder, I would see them up in my trees often. It was such a sight for me. Like you said, they are so fast, so it's hard to get a picture of them. What a blessing that you held one in your hands. It must have been such an experience. Thank you for your story, and dear, please don't worry if it was anything that you did. God gives us life, and He takes care of all of us, even the birds.

love,
~Sheri

Red Rose Alley said...

Debbie,
I just became your newest follower, but my red rose isn't showing up quite yet. Not sure why. :~)

~Sheri

Vicky Hunt said...

Such a sad, yet sweet story Debbie. You and I both have a heart for animals. I have tried to save a couple of animals in my lifetime. Just a few months ago, my husband brought a tiny baby bird whose nest had been knocked down into the house to see if I could save it. It's eyes were not even open yet and it died on my chest as I was trying to Google how to save him. So sad..:( Another time, years ago, he found a tiny baby deer in the middle of our dirt road in the rain. No mother in sight. I bottle fed it through the night and it made a crying sound like a baby. It would nuzzle under my neck in my hair. We took it to the vet the next day and later found out it had a broken jaw and that it died. Apparently the mother abandoned it due to the broken jaw. So sad, but you are right, God's way isn't our way. What a blessing to get to examine a wild creature up close though and bring it comfort in its final hours. Sorry about your sweet little hummer, but thanks for sharing the information. I will pass it on and hopefully save the lives of others.

Blessings, Vicky

Sola Scriptura said...

What a sad experience it must have been for you. We know that all suffering points to Christ and not even a bird will fall apart from our Heavenly Father allowing it. Hugs to you!

living from glory to glory said...

I felt like crying! Thank you for loving the little guy and singing over him. You're very sweet and gentle!
So sorry for the loss...
Love, Roxy

Jazzmin said...

This made me want to cry. What a precious creature. Although he didn't make it, he was certainly fortunate to have been found by someone with such compassion as you to at least make his last hours as comfortable as possible.

What a beautiful hummingbird...as I stared at awe of your gorgeous photos of him, I thought exactly what you said further down- that they move so quickly that it is hard to ever get a real look at their beauty. What a blessing indeed it must have been to admire this sweet creation.

When I visit Colorado, I see more hummingbirds in a day than I do in a year down here, but we still see a couple during the summers. I am glad to know about this if we have a feeder next season. Thank you for the warning.

May you have a blessed Saturday!
Hugs to you,
Jazzmin

Terra said...

Oh dear, I will read that story you link to, since we have a hummingbird feeder. What an awful thing for the poor bird to die of. You did everything you could, including singing to Our Lord.

Debby Ray said...

Oh my, what a precious woman you are to spend the time you did trying revive this precious bird....and singing to him even! You have touched my heart deeply, Debbie. I think I may have told you the experience I had with a baby hummer...but he made it. It was probably something like that too! I have never heard about the fungal infection before but you can believe we will take special care to keep our food fresh and feeders clean...just did this yesterday as a matter of fact. Thank you for sharing this beautiful experience, friend. Blessings!

silverfeather said...

I knew you are kind and loving and I was touched by how you took care of this precious little creation. How wonderful that you got to see and hold it up close....I know where Stephanie gets her tender spirit! I appreciate the info you passed on.

Sylvia said...

With tears flowing I read your post with hope that the hummingbird made it but it wasn't God's purpose. How blessed to get to spend those moments with it. I enjoy those tiny creatures that God created too. I will be more careful in taking care of the feeder that the ones come to at my home ! Thanks for the link to the site.

Robyn said...

Oh gosh, Debbie, I had a similar experience last year when a hummingbird flew into my garage and up into the rafters. I tried all day to coax him out but he was too high for me. The next day I opened the door and there was his little body right on my doormat! It was so surprising to me how light he was when I picked him up. I googled it and they weigh less than 1/8 lb. Such a beautiful little creature in a tiny little body.
You did all you could and at least he was comfortable with you when he died. God bless you for your kindness, my friend. Hugs!

Mindy said...

So sweet of you to try to rescue the lovely little creature. You gave him some comfort in his last hours. And thank you for the reminder about keeping our feeders clean and changing out the liquid often. Bless you!

kitty@ Kitty's Kozy Kitchen said...

Awww what a touching post, my friend, on God's beautiful creations and how He is in control. You tried your best to save the sweet hummingbird, and you spread the word about the fatal disease to make us aware. xo

M.K. said...

I know he's only a tiny bird -- just one bird, but each little animal is precious to God, and thus they should be precious to us. How wonderful that he was held and loved by you before he died! How wonderful that you had an opportunity you'd otherwise never have, to see up close how he looks -- that one bird. Better than a photo :) I'm glad you did this.

Julie's Lifestyle said...

Hi Debbie, so sorry the bird did not make it. You tried your best to take care it.

Thanks so much for stopping by today and wishing you a wonderful weekend.

Julie

Camille said...

Aww...what a sweet post. So sorry the little bird didn't live...but, how lovely for him that you were there to provide such loving care. God's creatures truly are precious. Hugs, Camille

Celestina Marie said...

Dear Debbie, this post just brings me to tears. I am so sorry for the sweet little hummer, but in his last hours, you gave him comfort and saw him to the end. What a blessing for one of God's tiny creatures to be placed in your care.
I am going to share this with my hubby as we have hummingbird feeders too and this info is very informative.

Wishing you a blessed weekend.
Hugs~

Ida said...

Oh my that is such a sad but inspiring story. I can't imagine how hard it must have been to lose this sweet bird after all your prayers and attempts to save it's life. I believe that all things happen for a reason and while we don't know what the reason for this was we do know that God was in control. Thank you for sharing.

Shaz in Oz.CalligraphyCards said...

Dear Debbie... sad indeed. I had ti take one of our native birds to the vets this week and it had disease called Runners very contagious so had to come home and vlean bird bath. Ee dont feed them as ee grow plants for that but ee provide clean water. Left it unfilled in sun for three days after scrubbing it with vinegar and bicarb soda. Sad for you but Gods ways are not our ways. Shaz in Oz x

Butterfly 8)(8 Bungalow said...

Thank you. xoxo

Anonymous said...

Thank you for this inspiring story! What sad this snall bird died. Once there will be no more death. Then animals no longer have to suffer.

I've never seen such a bird in real life. What is it small! What a beautiful colors!

susie @ persimmon moon cottage said...

I plant zinnias for the hummingbirds. Zinnias seeds are easily grown and very pretty. Survive fairly dry conditions and heat. The hummingbirds love to stop by and sip from them, and I don't have to worry about keeping the zinnias cleaned every day.

J said...

Of course I cried over this story. And it has made me respect and love you even more than I already do!

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...