Hummingbird Fails To Fly South For The Winter So Couple Help Him Get There

Residents in Prince George, British Columbia noticed an unusually warm Autumn, but it wasn’t just people feeling the effects, animals were too.

In fact, one hummingbird felt the warm weather and put off flying south for winter. Eventually, the temperatures started to drop but the bird stuck around.

Clive Keen, an editor with B.C. Birding magazine, actually noticed the bird in his yard in early October. Being familiar with the species, he realized that hummingbirds usually head south for winter around August, but considering the warm weather, he wasn’t too worried.

That changed, however, when Keen saw the bird again in late October after the temperatures had dropped and a snowstorm blew in. He knew the hummingbird was in grave danger at that point, so he set out to help.

Taking to Facebook, Keen shared about his plans to catch the hummingbird using a birdcage with a feeder inside. He wrote, “It’s snowing, and we’re attempting to catch a Rufous Hummingbird that should have been in Mexico a couple of months ago. Wish us luck.”

Two days later, Keen shared an update on Facebook that the hummingbird had been successfully captured and is being driven south where it belongs. He wrote:

“Hummer now being driven south. Sue heroically staffed the trap for three days until finally succeeding. The RUHU was then transferred to a small cage with feeder etc installed; it seems perky still, in spite of sub-minus nights.”

By early September, the hummingbird had made it south and was released. According to CBC News, Clive’s wife, Susan, drove the bird 9 hours south and released it into a protected clump of trees in a park.

Their hope is that the bird continues its own journey further south to Mexico where it belongs. The best they could do was give it a small nudge, a headstart of sorts.