A BIRD IN THE HAND

September is about in the middle of the bird migration season on Mount Desert Island. Last month while working in the garden, I noticed that there were more hummingbirds than usual around the property. The birds shifted between feeding on nasturtiums and other late-blooming plants and resting perfectly still on small shrubs including the beach roses. Hummingbirds are present Down East during the summer and frequent our yard despite the fact that we don’t set out feeders for them or any other birds for that matter.

When it was time to take a break from the gardening, I fetched the dog’s leash and went into the fenced-in yard to clip her onto the lead. Goldy had something in her mouth. When I commanded “drop it”, she spat out something very small and bright colored onto the grass. I bent over and discovered that it was a female ruby-throated hummingbird.

It seemed important to get away from the dog as she was showing a great deal of interest in the bird. So I cupped the bird in my hands and left the fenced yard, walking some distance away to examine it. The bird was alive. I could feel its heart beating in my palm. I gently pulled at and extended the two legs and feet which were intact. As I examined the body, I could see no puncture wounds or signs of blood. The bird appeared to be stunned and why not, ending up in the mouth of a dog. As I stroked the bird’s back, I tried to figure out where to put it down in a high enough spot to escape predators. All of a sudden, the bird took off, and flew vigorously into the high tops of the forsythia, well away from the dog yard.

How could a dog catch a hummingbird? How could such a small bird survive being in a dog’s mouth? Why did I decide to take the dog for a walk just then? I can’t explain any of it but believe it was an amazing experience for all the creatures involved.