I think this is a baby hummingbird (pix, dial-up warning)

[Gold Metal Flake]

I was turning my compost pile with a pitchfork, working from one end to the other. As I moved toward the middle, putting back all of the stuff I had turned over from one end I heard a couple of cheeps and then I saw that I had uncovered a baby bird. It's a tiny bird, but well formed and feathered. I grabbed a birdhouse that we had laying around that was missing a roof panel, put some compost grass in it and hung it up over the compost pile in the hopes that this was a fallen fledgling being cared for.

I thought it was one of the tiny but ordinary birds we have around here, but the wife said she saw a humming bird going in and out of the house. Well, good thing. So, it's got a house and hopefully it will be alright.

I buried that thing in compost I am sure. I'm glad I saw the thing. If I had stopped the take a call, or if I had not turned the pile and just dumped on todays grass clipping it would be asphyxiated for sure.

[CC]

1. Glad you found it before it was too late.

It does look like a hummingbird. You might want to look at this page http://www.ccwr.org/resources/region5.htm and call someone close by and ask if there is anything else you should do. There are a couple of hummingbird rescues listed. They may want to band it/them if possible too.

[GreenPartyVoter]

3. Agreed. I "saved" a bird once and he died because I was clueless :^(

[fortyfeetunder]

2. Great story

Glad you saved the little bird!