by Terry Masear
dream of giant hummingbirds, 219, 220, 221
dream of tree/hummingbirds, 30–31, 153
first book of, 179
Frank (husband) and, 29–30, 48–49, 84, 116, 151, 179, 196, 211, 214–15, 250–51, 262
Greek philosophy/teaching Aristotelian logic, 252
karate/back injury, 175–80
karate/correspondence, 283–84
law school and, 104, 175
life before hummingbirds, 30
moving to West Hollywood/hummingbirds in area, 161
scuba diving with Frank, 116, 281
serenity/disembodied moments, 280–82
UCLA and, 24–25, 30, 32–33, 52, 84, 167, 176, 179, 247–48
youth and horses/blind horse, 236–38
youth and saving wildlife, 33
Masear, Terry: illness
bedroom description, 262–63
caller with injured hummingbird/daughter with cancer, 268–71, 272–73
Frank (husband) and, 251, 262, 263, 264, 266, 267
friend interning at hospital/diagnosis and, 267–68
hummingbird care and, 261, 263, 265, 266–67, 268
mosquito bite, 250–51, 267
recovery, 274
symptoms, 257–59, 261, 262, 264, 265
Masear, Terry: rehabilitation/rescue callers
hummingbird-broken-heart question, 261–62
with injured hummingbird/daughter with cancer, 268–71, 272–73
“interfering with nature” and, 249–50, 251
misguided calls/laughable questions, 198–99
misidentifications, 198–99
not helping/self-absorption and, 43, 103, 207–10, 211
from Ohio, 215–16
people wanting to chat, 223–25
rambling caller, 68–71
from tree over ocean cliffs, 1–5
“walking hummingbird,” 198, 199
Masear, Terry: rehabilitation/rescues
academics and, 136–38
area description, 5, 9, 11, 34, 89
artist inviting hummingbird into house and, 106–7
attire, 116
August (mid-August) situation (2008), 247–48
beginning organization, permit, inspection, 29–30
beginnings/confidence building, 32–33
Blacktop connection and, 173, 202–4
blind older man and, 182, 183–85, 188
brown sugar twins, 110–17, 119
bully hummingbirds, 117–19, 137, 152, 242–43
compassion fatigue, 48–51
Cooper’s hawk and, 161–62
costs and, 47
ducklings/reaction, 212–15, 217–18
empathy and, 200
feeling sorry for self, 51–52
first loss/effects, 34–39, 42, 47–48, 271, 272
“harm-ed” bird/mourning dove pick-up, 195–97
hybrid from UCLA botanical gardens, 220, 240, 246, 247, 275, 291
injured adults/restoring flight capacity, 159–60
July (late) birds remaining (2008), 247
June work/stress (2008), 204–18
life with, 51–52, 84
mites/effects and, 206, 215
mother allowing children to keep hummingbird and, 168–71, 172
neighbors and hummingbirds, 41–42, 150–51
numbers/examples, 74, 75–76, 82, 155–56, 189–90, 192–98, 232–35
One-Eyed Jack, 247, 267, 278, 289
orphaned fledgling (from Idaho), 292–93
picking up hummingbird/wealthy producer’s house, 193–94
reasons for, 30, 39
on rehabber goals/nature and, 287–88
on release of hummingbirds, 282–83
rescue hotline effects, 64
rescuers diversity, 67–74
Roper’s advice/relationship and, 35, 36, 37, 52, 208–10, 214, 218, 254, 265
Rosie/Rosie’s death, 222–23, 225, 226–27
rufous male revisiting, 126–27
siphoning crop, 36–37, 114
spider-web victim, 107, 108
stormy weather awareness and, 216–17
surgical loupes use, 131–32, 145, 183, 185–86, 215
therapy calls with Roper, 208–10
tree-sap bird and older man, 183, 184–86, 187
walking/pedometer and, 204, 210
wild vs. urban hummingbirds and, 233–34
year (2008) and, 286–88
See also Brad; Gabriel (hummingbird); Iris; Pepper; rehabilitation of hummingbirds; rescues of hummingbirds
Masear, Terry: rescues (for Roper)
Anna’s with white spot/storm, 23–25, 26, 27–29
cat bringing in nestling, 23
film-prop warehouse, 25
tree trimmers and, 26–27, 29
See also Gabriel (hummingbird)
Mayr, Gerald, 98
melatonin, 182
migration fatigue, 126–27
migration of hummingbirds
Anna’s, 123
banding information and, 122, 123, 125, 127–28
black-chinned, 123
distances covered, 123–24, 125–26
flight height level, 124
magnetic fields detection and, 82
mechanisms using and, 126, 129–30, 182
night time and, 124
orphaned fledgling (from Idaho), 292–93
precision in spatial memory and, 128
putting on weight and, 124
ruby-throated, 123–24, 125
rufous, 125–27
same-date recaptures, 127–28
temporary rests and, 124–25
mites
ants/stopping ants and, 191–92
hummingbirds/nests and, 190–92
late summer and, 247
in rehab, 206, 215
solutions to, 190, 191
monks/Vedanta Society, 225–26, 227
mother hummingbirds
abandoned-nest calls (false alarms), 101–5, 111–12, 215, 225–26
age/experience and, 93–95
defense of young/nest, 7, 53, 54, 63
food/feeding nestlings method, 146–47
killing hummingbird too close to nest, 54
males harassing and, 63
rescue and return to nest/young, 165–66
sitting on nests timing and, 101–2, 105, 111, 112
sound vs. sight in locating displaced young, 129
supplementing protein for young, 86
urban myth/humans touching young, 68, 79
See also nests/nestlings; webcams on nests
names for hummingbirds, 96, 99
National Wildlife Federation, 151
nature-selection proponents
caller with children wanting to help, 249–50, 251
Masear’s answer to, 252–53
Roper’s caller on fledgling struck by car, 251
survival-of-the-fittest argument, 252
nests/nestlings
camouflage and, 8, 37
colors/species and, 8
dragonfly wind chime example, 7–8, 9
human porches and, 7
humans building/repairing nests, 76, 77, 84, 87, 95, 129, 250
mother’s age/experience and, 93–95
nest description/materials, 7–8, 93, 94
nestlings attachment to, 9
See also mother hummingbirds
NetLines, 125
North American Breeding Bird Survey, 123
nystatin, 201
One-Eyed Jack, 247, 267, 278, 289
ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny, 145
parenting (humans)
laissez-faire style, 168–70
as pet parents, 260
wild animals and, 260
parenting (hummingbirds). See mother hummingbirds
Pepper
after leaving aviary, 292
age of, 131–32
aggressive male attacking/injury and, 132, 155, 243–44
&
nbsp; in aviary/attack and, 241–42, 243, 246
in aviary/leaving aviary with Gabriel, 275, 277, 278, 280, 281–82, 289
connection to Masear, 258–59, 260–61, 262, 283
description, 156
flight success, 235–36, 238
flight-therapy for, 174, 182–83, 221, 235–36, 238
following return to Masear’s/recovery, 261, 264, 265, 266, 274
in large flight cage with Gabriel, 274–75
Masear getting her home, 258–59, 260–61
posttraumatic stress disorder, 243–44
in rehabilitation, 141, 156–57, 174, 182–83, 185, 188, 221, 235–36
rehabilitation/Gabriel and, 221, 241, 243, 246, 266
rescue/rescuer, 131, 132–33
at Roper’s place/torpor and, 248, 254–55, 256–57, 258–59
weight gain, 174–75
wing/injury and, 133–34, 141, 156–57
pineal gland, 181–82
Powder
in aviary, 243, 278, 280, 291
background/veterinarian and effects, 240–41, 278, 291
gradually leaving aviary/area, 291–92, 292
refusing to leave aviary, 246, 247, 275
rehabilitation of hummingbirds
baths and, 92–93
broken wings and, 133, 268
bullying hummingbirds, 117–19, 137, 151–52, 242–43
changes in species/numbers (Los Angeles area), 56–57
compassion fatigue and, 48–51
feeding formula into crop, 147
food people fed birds (problems), 34–39, 111–15, 221
goal/natural environment and, 81
head-injury cages, 160, 222, 259
healthy fledglings and, 230–31
hummingbird nonprofit organization and, 47
intake time requirement, 207
June work/pressure examples, 204–18
late-summer fledglings/problems, 247
mother feeding before and, 145–46
mouth-breathing meaning, 36
nestlings waste and, 143
numbers/progeny (Los Angeles/western landscape), 286–87
protein formula and, 34, 35, 46, 55, 67, 94, 114, 125–27, 143, 147, 151, 154, 174, 201, 202, 204, 211, 212, 223, 233, 234, 241, 248, 261, 263
siphoning crop, 36–37, 114
sliding from perch (vs. lifting), 126
soft-tissue injuries and, 156–57
Southern California facilities/volume, 75–76
state-run (wildlife) facilities at capacity and, 232–33
sun effects on birds, 92
warming, 37, 45–46
See also rescues of hummingbirds; specific hummingbirds; specific individuals
rehabilitation of hummingbirds (overview)
aviary timing/activities, 152–54
bobble-heads stage/care, 146–47
cage mates and, 150, 151, 152–53
cleaning/other work, 143, 144
dinofuzz stage/care, 146
feather-duster stage/care, 147
fledglings flight progression, 139–40
flowers and, 143, 150–51
hardware store needs, 143
kitchen items, 201
large flight cage timing/description, 149–50, 151–52
naked babies stage/care, 145–46
nests in ICU, 142–43
pinfeathered stage/care, 147
pre-fledgling stage/care, 148
release days, 143–44, 154
starter cage timing/description, 148–49
summary, 144
time in rehab, 143, 154
Reiki hand-warming, 37
“Rescue Me,” 214, 218
rescue people/groups
animals that bond with people and, 199–200
Los Angeles wildlife and, 199
See also rehabilitation of hummingbirds; specific individuals
rescues of hummingbirds
adult female Anna’s agitation/return to home (babies), 165–66
bulldog rescuing hatchling, 64–65
carpool lane use and, 73–74
children kidnapping nestlings, 14–16
cotton towels/losing claws, 149–50
dragonfly wind chime twins, 7–8, 9
eggs and, 40–41
examples of challenging rescues, 64–65
family cat killing mother/dog next door, 12–14, 16–19, 21–22
flash photo problems and, 78–80
golf balls and, 65
Goths and, 72
Hummingbird Rescue website, 64
Make-A-Wish Foundation picnic and, 77–78
misidentification of species and, 57
Mob type person, 73–74
need for (overview), 27
phone photos and, 53, 77
reasons for, 72–73, 74
rescuers driving during off-hours and, 207
from store skylight, 18, 19–20
swimming pool/feeding all night, 6, 9–11
telephone-assisted rescues, 76–80
See also rehabilitation of hummingbirds; specific hummingbirds; specific individuals
Roper, Jean
advising Masear/relationship, 35, 36, 37, 52, 208–10, 214, 218, 254, 265
boa constrictor incident and, 199
description, 210–11
egg-bound bird and, 254–55, 259
as hummingbird rehabilitator, 23, 30, 32, 47, 57, 65, 76, 81, 101, 120, 121–22, 142, 162, 163–64, 205, 210–11, 220–21, 225, 229–30, 248, 251, 254–55, 259, 286
mentor of, 56
Pepper and, 248, 254–55, 256–57, 258–59
See also Masear, Terry: rescues (for Roper)
Rosie/Rosie’s death, 222–23, 225, 226–27
ruby-throated hummingbirds migration, 123–24, 125
rufous hummingbirds
belligerence and, 61
courtship display, 58, 59–60
hybridization, 57
iridescent patches (males), 154
migration, 125–27
nest colors, 8
nesting in Los Angeles area, 56
wing flap speeds, 137
Santa Clarita Anna’s twins
bullying and release, 241–43
description/weight, 233, 234
as wild (not urban) birds, 233–34
Santa Monica animal shelter, 205, 211–12, 225, 227, 279
Sargent, Bob/Martha, 125, 127–28
Sensei Nishiyama
karate and, 175–76, 178, 211, 283–84
karate tests/promotions and, 283–84
soft-tissue injuries in wild vs. rehab, 156–57
spatial memory precision, 128–29
sugar water/feeders
breeding season and, 63
caller fearing addicted birds, 244
cleaning importance/schedule, 201, 244–46, 245, 246
fights over, 53, 54, 60–61
hummingbird population effects, 81–82
infections from dirty feeders, 201, 245, 246
migration/return to same feeder and, 128
mother hummingbird defending young and, 53, 54
odd uses, 101
people keeping birds too long/sugar water, 168–71, 240–41
people’s commitment and, 82
ratio water-sugar, 245
red dye and, 245
sugar water on feathers and, 211–12
survival-of-the-fittest argument, 252
See also nature-selection proponents
Tao Te Ching (Lao Tzu), 50, 231
third eye, 181–82
torpor causes/description, 90–91
tree trimmers and hummingbirds
rescues needed, 6, 26–27, 146, 189–90, 222
timing and, 26
underdogs in U.S. culture, 226
“unenlightened self-interest,” 43
Vedanta Society/monks, 225–26, 227
veterinarians and hummingbirds, 240–41
webcams on nests
comments on mother not feeding enough and, 82–83
mother ripping nest/building new nest, 88
nest repair example, 83–84, 87
West, George C., 123
West Nile virus, 267, 279
See also Masear, Terry: illness
Wetlands Wildlife and Care Center, Huntington Beach, 218
windshield wipers rescues, 155, 206–7, 210
wings of hummingbirds
broken wings, 133, 268
capabilities and, 135–36, 138–39
comparison to insects, 135
description/anatomy vs. other birds, 134–35
fearlessness in wild and, 140–44
feeding on flower nectar and, 138–39
hunting and, 135, 138
vulnerability and, 136
wing flap speeds, 137
See also flight of hummingbirds
woodstars, 137
About the Author
TERRY MASEAR has been rescuing hummingbirds since 2005. Over the past ten years, she and a network of rehabbers in Southern California have received 40,000 calls and rescued 5,000 hummingbirds, the majority of which have been released back into the wild in the Los Angeles area. Terry received her Ph.D. from UCLA, where she teaches English as a Second Language. She has taken time off from teaching to focus on researching and writing about hummingbirds.