manbirdexperiment wrote: 

I'd think she'd need at least a Tenhee.

 manbirdexperiment wrote: 
Hmm, isn't that a songbird?

I'm starting to see startling web accounts of hummers found hanging upside down from perched feeders. One person is convinced that they become hypothermic when they sit down to drink and that's why you find them that way. It's true that they can hang from perches when exhausted or hypothermic, evidently, so possibly this little guy just flew in from the coast and needed a nap- just not sure I buy the theory that they can get hypothermia from drinking while sitting down. Hypothermia is unlikely to occur natrually right now... it was nearly 100 here today.

Apparently, hummingbirds sleep hanging upside down like bats & vampires.

As I was walking into the living room this afternoon, I glanced out at the hummer feeder hanging just outside the window. Something about it was odd, so I got closer and realized with horror that a dead hummingbird was evidently still, somehow, stuck to the feeder. I got right up to the window, just a few inches from the feeder itself, and had a better look- and on closer inspection, I was certain the bird was dead. It was still- weirdly- clutching the perch, hanging completely upside down. It's tail feathers were up under the base of the feeder and it's beautiful neck was arched way back, its ruby throat forming the shape of a little bow.

I was devastated, even as a curious voice in my head said, "Go get the camera and take some photos before you clean up this awful mess." I couldn't though... the thought of taking a photo of a dead hummer, after snapping so many vibrantly alive ones, was sickening.

I went and fetched G from the driveway, where he had been cleaning Fun Car, and brought him back into the house to have a look. He was as stumped as me about how the hell this poor dead bird was still clutching the perch. It had to be some sort of awful, rigor mortis, "Surprise! you're dead and now you can't unclench!" kind of thing, I dunno.

Anyway, I go and grab a handful of paper towels, figuring I'd use them to retrieve the bird and then wrap it up until we could get it out into the forest to bury it, and out G and I march to the feeder.

Now my heart is really breaking... I've about convinced myself that his death is my fault: I knew those feeders were hanging too low, and now the cat's gotten to one of my beloved hummers. G and I creep up to the feeder, trying to figure out if there's any life left in the bird at all (there must be, he's still hanging on!) but I can't tell if he's dead, or what... his eyes are open, but now I'm right up on him, inches away, and nothing, no movement, no nothing. I feel like crying! I reach out to gather him up in the paper towels when he suddenly turns his head, sees me, and beats a hasty path away.



And I didn't get a photo of it because I was convinced that he was dead and who wants to see a photo of a dead, cute animal? No one I want to know, anyway. No one wants to see that, least of all me, so yeah... We have a hummer who evidently gets his jollies like a 5 year old on the playground by hanging upside down from the monkey bars so he can look at the world... You know... upside down.  That's my story and I'm sticking to it.