[TN-Bird] WillieBoy Day 8
- From: "Tommy Curtis" <tcbirdwatch@xxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "TN-Bird Post" <tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 8 Dec 2006 08:02:00 -0600
WillieBoy didn't fool around about getting sugar water this morning when he
appeared at 6:31. He sat on the feeder perch immediately and drank for over a
minute while basking in the warmth of the two heat lamps; he ate so fast he
created an air bubble in the feeder and that scared him away. Then he confused
us by not coming back for almost 20 minutes but the puzzlement dissipated when
a hawk flew through the yard and scattered all the seed eaters. After he was
gone WillieBoy returned and drank for nearly a minute and has been back four
times in the first hour, each time sitting and drinking a long time. This is
in sharp contrast to yesterday when the strong wind kept him unsettled and made
his visits short. I had tied down the feeder so it was not swaying but the
wind would nearly blow him off the perch when he tried to sit. Thankfully it
is calm this morning because with the temperature in the single digits any wind
would be really awful.
We have scheduled getting WillieBoy positively identified and banded early
Monday morning when the weather will be more moderate. Anyone who wants to
come and watch is invited. I don't think I will be able to resist touching him
a few times myself when he is captive. I became addicted to handling a
hummingbird a couple of summers ago when an immature Ruby-throated was hit by a
car in front of our house. I saw him in the road and it was obvious his left
wing was broken, and the vet I took him to said the bone was crushed and he
could never fly again. I made a perch in a shoebox and positioned a feeder so
he could eat without leaving the perch. But he fixated on my voice and every
time I came into the room he would begin fluttering his wings and wanting me to
take him and rub his head as he sat on my shoulder. Even though I knew I could
not properly care for him long term, it was difficult after a month to turn him
over to the Walden's Puddle rehab center so they could place him in an aviary.
I've held all kinds of birds in my hands through the years but nothing is as
special as a hummingbird.
Tommy & Virginia Curtis
Smithville, TN
DeKalb County
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