[2009] Help, hummingbird trapped in garage

[Patri]

How do I safely get him outdoors? He stays by the ceiling and rests on the door rail fixtures up high. Door is open.

 

[djs]

Perhaps you could get a bird feeder and hang it right outside the garage. The "food" for it is quite easy to make as it's basically 4 parts water to 1 part sugar. If you don't want to get a feeder than creating the food and putting it in a bowl outside the garage may help.

Hummingbird Food.

 

[Carolyn]

How about putting some nectar just outside the door?

 

[Patri]

I wonder if he'll still be alive by morning. Don't they need food constantly? I'm going back out to check on him.

 

[Jestjoan]

We've had that very same thing happen and all the hummers want to do is go up, up, up. Our garage has a high ceiling. DH used a broom very gently........

The most important thing he did was put white tape over the red handle for the automatic garage door release. We haven't had any visitors since he did that.

 

[Jestjoan]

from hummingbirds.net

"There's a hummingbird trapped in my garage!
I get a couple of calls like this every summer, just in my own neighborhood.

The government insists that all garage doors have red emergency release handles. Unfortunately, to a hummingbird they look a lot like trumpet creeper flowers, one of their favorites, and they fly in to investigate. But hummers aren't particularly intelligent and don't have a natural concept of ceilings, and when they get scared their immediate reflex is to fly straight up, which only compounds the problem. In an hour, a trapped and exhausted hummingbird can starve to death. What to do?

First, keep pets and kids away so they won't make the bird more anxious, and try hanging your most popular feeder in the door opening and stand back. Sometimes this will bring a hungry bird to feed, and it may fly off in the correct direction when it's finished. But this doesn't always work, and you shouldn't waste too much time - the bird's clock is ticking. If the hummer isn't gone within 10 minutes or so, turn on the inside garage light, close the overhead door, and get a flashlight. When the hummer flies over a clear section of the floor, turn off the light. Hummingbirds have poor night vision and don't like to fly in the dark, and the bird will flutter gently to the floor. Turn on your flashlight, find the bird, and scoop it upgently in your cupped bare hands. Have an assistant open the door, and carry the hummer away from the garage. Offer the bird a drink by holding it close to the feeder, but don't try to force it. After it drinks, or refuses to drink, open your hands, and when the bird reorients itself, it will fly away - probably straight up. It may lie still in your hand for several minutes, or it may leave immediately. Hummingbirds don't usually carry parasites, but wash your hands afterward anyway.

To prevent a recurrence, keep your garage door closed when you don't actually need it open. You should also ignore the government and remove the temptation, by painting the release handle a dark color (black is good), or at least looping it up out of sight. Look for and hide any other attractive red items, such as paint can labels. Remind your neighbors, gently, of the trouble with red garage door release handles.

Note: if your garage has windows and cannot be darkened, this rescue technique won't work. Instead, hang the feeder high up, inside the garage, so the bird can feed itself and rest comfortably. Leave it alone, and leave the door open in case it calms down enough to figure out how to leave. Near dusk, the flashlight technique will work better."

 

[Patri]

Happy news

It was still up there resting. Started to fly around again. I got a rake with the splay of spokes and caught it. Guess maybe the beak was in the slots. Went outside and dropped it gently in the grass. Lay motionless. Fearful I had killed it, I touched it with a rake tip. It flew up and far away.
I don't have a feeder. Just yesterday my mom said my tomato plants probably would attract hummingbirds but I hadn't seen any.
Now I can sleep well tonight.
And thanks for the note on the red handle. That was probably it.

 

[nicklinneh]

My experience with hummingbird rescue occurred when one got tangled in a spiderweb. I got him loose but then had to get the web off him. The hardest part was cleaning it out of his toenails (can you imagine how small hummingbird toenails are?). Once he was clean, I put him on a branch, where he sat 15 min. getting his energy back before flying off. -ken

 

[nightnurse613]

I am constantly amazed at the variety of knowledge shown by TUGGERS. Jestjoan-that was incredibly informative and, I'm glad everything worked out for the hummingbird.

 

[Htoo0]

Ahhh yes, another happy ending! Maybe we could make a movie.

 

[MuranoJo]

Quote: "But hummers aren't particularly intelligent"

I believe hummers are very intelligent and inquisitive creatures. A small miracle in my mind.

I've had all kinds of birds become confused in the garage, but never a hummer, and our garage doors are open right next to a major hummingbird feeding area. But ya learn something new every day--wouldn't surprise me with the red on the pull-string.

Anyway, glad things turned out ok for the OP.

 

[Former Cruiser]

I have lots of hummingbirds. I had one in the garage last year. Thanks for the tip about the red handle!

 

[stmartinfan]

Another hummingbird saved

Thanks Patri for posting the original question and Jestjoan for the great directions. I had read this several days ago, just out of curiosity, and then yesterday my daughter came in the house distressed because there was a hummingbird stuck in our garage - doing exactly as described and flying straight up.

Luckily, I remembered the posting, pulled up the info and my husband and daughter were able to darken the garage and get the bird to land, then carry it outside. It flew to a nearby tree, sat there for a while and then flew off, apparently having survived the experience OK.

Amazing what you can learn on TUG I was glad we could have a happy ending.

 

[billco]

I left my garage door open while mowing the lawn. When I returned and shut the door there was a humming bird flying around that had no way out but the garage door or the entrance door from the back yard. I have no window in my garage.
I set about opening the garage door and watching for it to leave. After a couple of hours watching this bird fly around I went and got a small humming bird feeder and set it on top of a 5 foot sep ladder.
The bird finally came down and ate but then went back up to the upper part of the garage and stayed flying around the wires annd lights and resting on whatever it could find.
I finally read the posts online and decided that I would close the door so another bird would not get in, and wait for darkness to see where the bird ended up that would hpefully low enough for me to catch it with my hands and release it back outside.

After dark this did not work. I went to bed.
The next morning I headed to Walmart for a $12.96 net with a 47 inch handle and a 16 inch wide net. I frustrated myself tryn to catch this little devil and finally said I have to find another plan.
I opened the garage door and put the ladder (with feeder on top) about 6 feet from the outside but where the bird would see it.
Oh Oh another hummer spotted it an decided to come in and eat.
I scared it off and it went outside.
After about 30 or 40 minutes the bird in the garage went dow, ate some sugar water and when I went out to check on it in the garage, it flew outside.
I quickly closed the garage door.
Now I know what to do if this happens again!
Good luck with yours!

 

[siesta]

I had nets around my grape vines in Scottsdale to protect them from the birds, came home one hot afternoon to find 6 different types of birds trapped, they snuck in to eat the grapes but couldnt get out. If i didnt come home that day they would have likely died from the heat. So ive stopped using nets, its no use since if they die in there next to my grapes i wont eat them. So now i just share.

 

[Passepartout]

Experts on these things say you should remove or cover with black tape the little red ball that allows for emergency opening. The red attracts hummers and as stated above, they are really hard to get to go back outside. Their natural tendency when they feel threatened is to fly up, and that's not the way out of most garages.

Cover the ball.

Jim Ricks

And yes, I did see that this is a 2-y.o. thread,

 

[DeniseM]

Please note that this questions was asked in 2009, and a one time poster brought it out of mothballs with post #14.

 

[dmharris]

I love that Tuggers have caring hearts.