OC Woman Works Overtime To Nurse Sick Hummingbirds Back To Health
HUNTINGTON BEACH (CBSLA) -- Dozens of sick hummingbirds are turning up in Orange County.
But there is a group of volunteers, working overtime and around the clock, to nurse the sick birds back to health.
CBS2's Michele Gile reported from a home in Huntington Beach that has become a sanctuary for the sick birds.
"So this is my bird room. These are the babies. They stay in an incubator that is thermo regulated," says Anne Stratton.
With an overflow of patients, Stratton's guest room in Huntington Beach has turned into a hospital for hummingbirds.
"They're fed every 30 minutes," she explains.
Nearly 50 tiny creatures are being rehabilitated by the retired nurse who is a volunteer with the Wetlands & Wildlife Care Center.
Since the beginning of the year, Stratton has taken in 107 birds.
Friday afternoon, the newest little one arrived in a cardboard box.
Recent storms could be to blame for the high numbers of sick and injured hummingbirds.
"They can be blown out of the nest, they can be cut out of the nest when people are doing tree trimming -- you should not be trimming your trees or hedges this time of year. The best time is October, November and very, very early December. Winds, rain and a lot of human interference."
The youngest patient is only 12 days old. There's another egg in the nest It's not fertile but its acts like a hot water bottle -- it's here for comfort and warmth.
The baby hummingbirds take in a mixture of bugs and nutrients and because they eat nearly round-the-clock, Stratton has helpers like Belinda Shepherd. She spends four hours every Friday feeding the flock.
"Last year alone we had 602 hummingbirds for the entire year and this isn't even baby season yet -- this is just the very beginning of baby season. If this continues we are definitely going to break some records," says Stratton.
Gile says the uptick in sick birds might be more people caring for them and looking out to help the injured. In fact, one injured hummingbird arrived at Stratton's home from Venice Beach -- via Uber.
For more information about the Wetlands & Wildlife Care Center, click here.
