SMFR to the rescue in a compassionate way
This small hummingbird was lucky to be inside Fire Station 39 where SMFR firefighters nursed it to health last month.
By Kathy Fallert; photos courtesy of SMFR
Colorado, many people enjoy bird watching in the spring and summer months. Especially fun to watch are the hummingbirds. The most common species of hummingbirds in Colorado are the Broad-tail, Black Chinned and the Rufous.
The firefighters of the South Metro Fire Rescue (SMFR) Station 39 came to the rescue of one such Broad-tail hummingbird last month. As posted on Twitter by SMFR, “This little Castle Pines resident needed help and found it inside the garage at Fire Station 39. Its beak was wrapped with debris, its eyes wouldn’t open and it couldn’t fly. Firefighters cleaned it off, served it sugar water and after 15 minutes the hummingbird flew away!”
Hummingbirds are very small, with the largest weighing only 8.4g and the smallest a mere 2.5g. Most hummers flap their wings a whopping 53 times per second. The great amount of expended energy has them eating up to five times their body weight every day.
The Firefighters found the hummingbird in the apparatus garage of the fire station, so the bird probably walked inside. SMFR Public Information Officer Eric Hurst gave this reminder, “Although firefighters were able to provide first aid to a hummingbird found in their fire station, they cannot accept injured birds or animals dropped off by residents. Firefighters are not trained as veterinarians and the stations are not equipped to treat or house animals.
If you’d like to learn more about wild birds and how to help those that are injured, visit the Wild Bird Rescue & Rehab website at https://wildbirdrehab.com/wild-bird-facts/.
