On Saturday a.m. a male RUHB was perched on the feeder hanging from the
front eve of my house. He did not startle as I filled the front seed feeder
station nearby. As I went back in the house I went right up the feeder and
he still did not startle even when I was less than a foot away standing on a
chair to get a good look. I figured he was ailing and this was confirmed a
short time later when I showed my wife and he was now hanging upside down
from the perch.

We attempted the same rewarming trick we have used a few times before on
window impact victims. We heated up some rags in the microwave and a heat
pack (gel used for sore necks or joints in a plastic bag). I pried him off
the perch and placed him wrapped up in the rags next to the heat pack in a
shoe box. After 15 minutes he was no better. After 30 minutes he was alert
(and nearly flew out of the box into the house interior). After 45 minutes
my daughter released him and he flew off. Of course, we don't know about
his ultimate fate, but I have become a real believer in this approach to
handling stunned or ailing birds:

- minimize handling
- dark, quiet place
- rewarm, treat all cases like hypothermia

Charles Vaughan
cev at rocket.com
Woodinville, WA