"Humbee" A Hummingbirds Story of Survival

He showed up in our yard on April 28th, 2010. You couldn't not notice him...he was the one with the bee impaled on the end of his beak.

If I hadn't gotten pics of him I wouldn't have believed my eyes!

...

He did everything he could to get the bee off of his beak...

It was heartbreaking to watch him struggle.

I asked for help on our Mo. Listserve and received several emails.....many from experts assuring me that the bee would fall off in a few days and the little guy would be fine. It still was very difficult to watch him struggle...

edited for grammar.

This message was edited Jun 14, 2010 11:14 AM

After a week part of the bee remained and Humbee was starting to rub off his feathers trying to remove the bee. This pic really alarmed me when I saw the raw spot under his wing.

....

He continued rubbing his beak...but to no avail.

I was worried that he would not be able to eat but since he had already survived for over a week I knew he must be eating insects and I had seen him use the feeders.

Humbee disappeared on May 6th and I feared the worst. I watched for him everyday as I was outside most of the time but never saw him until June 9th. Of course I couldn't believe my eyes but luckily I got pics. As you can see the bee remains have moved up on his beak but he is doing fine and eats and acts like a real champ!


Edited for grammar...again

This message was edited Jun 14, 2010 11:24 AM

He loves the Lantana!!

I can't describe how thrilling it is to see this little fella!

I contacted one of the Hummer experts and he assures me that the remains will eventually fall off and the beak will return to a normal state.

As you can see he has no problem opening his beak and sticking out his tongue!!

Thanks for looking and I hope to add more pics of Humbee.

What great story, wonderful narrative, and beautiful photography! Thank you Rose.
Kim

I sure feared the worst on this little tough guy. You told the story beautifully and I'm so very glad some of that bee has come off. It must seem like years when you've watching him struggle every day and then he disappears for a while.

Thanks for sharing all of your beautiful photos with us Rose. Cute blooms too! Please let us know how he's doing.

Wow Rose that is incredible! It's a shame he lost some feathers trying to get it off but he is looking great. They are such tough little birds!

Excellent pics too! Thanks so much for posting about Sir Humbee! ^_^

Very nice story Dellrose! Great photo's also! Glad he's ok now, I'm wondering how the bee got there though? Maybe it was a high speed accident. lol

Thanks everyone...it is my pleasure to share this little fella. I must confess that after he disappeared I couldn't look at the pics I took of him. He had completely captured me for 9 days and I felt his struggle. The experts recommended leaving him alone as the stress of trapping him to remove the bee would probably be harder on him...I was tempted many times though!

edited for spelling...grrrrrrr...

This message was edited Jun 14, 2010 1:01 PM

How distressing for you to be witnessing this, Rose, but he's making it just fine. I can just imagine how your thoughts were running when he disappeared for weeks. It's dreadful to feel powerless, isn't it? Beautiful photos.

Oh my, tears of joy are flowing from my eyes! A heartwarming story with a happy ending...
boy, I needed that so bad!!!! I can relate to being under stress watching things happen and feeling helpless...it's an awful feeling. Thanks for sharing the story about the little guy...bless it's heart! :D

Thanks Margaret and SusanLouise...he really is a sweetheart. Here are a few shots from today.

After he eats either from a flower or a feeder he likes to rest on a low flower stem or perch.

Here he is resting again. Prior to his disappearance he was King of the back yard and would not allow any Hummers in the back yard...all day long!! Since his return I noticed that he is not as aggresive and doesn't guard anymore.

OOPS...wrong shot!

He loves the Monardo and other flowers!

So glad to hear and see that he is doing so well. Wonderful shots Rose!!

I love all these pictures and this little guy is making the best of his situation. I just wish that bee would dry up a little faster.

Beautiful pictures, Rose. As far as removing the bee, people catch and band hummers all the time. If you have a local bander, he/she might help catching your little guy and removing the bee.

I just love your pictures. And I hope the little guy is doing good. I have so many hummingbirds this year. I just enjoy watching them.