Hi all. I never have posted here, so Im not sure what to expect, but
here goes:

A couple of days ago I noticed a rufous sitting on my window-mounted
feeder with his beak held up and opened. He sat this way for several
minutes and wouldn't budge when other hummers tried to crowd his
space. I wasn't sure what to make of this strange behavior until I
noticed he was also shaking a bit. I went out to get a closer look
and he got spooked and flew to the other window feeder, where he sat
in the same manner, beak held high and open. I think I observed his
tongue hanging out.

He was obviously stressed, injured, or sick, so I just watched him
throughout the evening, until eventually his mouth closed and the sun
went down. After dark I noticed he was still there, so I figured by
morning he might be lying on the deck floor below.

In the morning he was still on his perch, but his eyes were closed
and he was swaying gently in the breeze. I went out and gently put my
hand over him and attempted to pick him off the perch, but his tiny
feet were gripped firmly. I managed to pry him off, and then laid him
in a box with a blanket of kleenex. I put the lid on and checked on
him every hour or so. He was obviously unconscious, but still
breathing, and hopefully wasn't feeling any pain. After several hours
he finally stopped breathing.

Has anyone else observed this kind of behavior and does anyone know
what might have afflicted him? I had just changed the sugar water
hours before he landed, but the water that had been in there was a
couple of weeks old. Could it have fermented or gone bad during that
time? I usually change it every week or so. Or maybe he just got sick
or injured?

Thanks for any similar stories or ideas you might want to share.

Becky Westby
Grapeview, WA