Mukilteo Musings

I Believe in Miracles!

The incident happened too fast to get it on video, of course. Last evening was lovely so after dinner Dave, Lucas, and I were lounging on the back deck enjoying the setting sun and the boats on the Sound. It was quiet without even a breeze.

"Thud." I barely saw the tiny bird fly into our glass deck railing. A few minuscule feathers floated away.

"Oh no. You guys, I think that was a hummingbird?" I wondered with concern. Lucas hopped up and peered over the deck railing to the grass a few feet below.

"Ah, yea. Ooooh, he is blue and green and cool looking. Ah man. He is twitching. I think it is not good," Lucas sadly declared. At that moment, I almost started to cry for the senseless death of one of God's creatures. I pulled myself out of the comfortable lounge chair to see the poor thing. The little hummingbird wings were fully extended and gray. When you think about it, you never get to see hummingbird wings. I could not see his head. By this time, the small bird was motionless. Ah man. I was hoping this was not the same little guy my Mom and I enjoyed watching in our fountain. We watched and waited and hoped for what seemed to be about 10 minutes to see if he would snap out of it and fly away. But no.

"Lucas, go get the shovel and a sack and get rid of it before Apolo sees it." ordered Dave. Lucas went to the garage and retrieved a big sack and shovel and came back with one leather glove on his right hand as if he was going to pick up a dead porcupine. My kids are a tad queasy. All the while, I watched my little dead birdie.

Lucas inched slowly toward the hummingbird. He reached out with his gloved hand and stroked it with his finger. Up popped his little head with long pointy black beak which had been tucked down in the grass. "Yikes!" Lucas yelled.

"Shshsh, Lucas, quiet. Keep stroking him. It is like you are giving him CPR," whispered Dave. Unfortunately, the bird was terribly still and not interested in taking flight. Lucas decided to pick him up in the gloved hand. By this time, Apolo realized something exciting was going on and he lumbered off the deck to join his boy.

"Don't let Apolo get him! Don't let Apolo get him!" I pleaded. Apolo's nose was going crazy and he wanted Lucas' gloved hand. He bounced up and tried to reach as Lucas lifted his hand toward the sky. "No, no, no," I squealed. Dave started laughing. I didn't think a dead hummingbird was funny. Lucas, being afraid of bees, was certain the hummingbird's wings were going to begin buzzing and that he would be stung with the long beak. "Lucas, he is not a bee. He is a bird and he will not attack you, I promise. Besides, he's dead!"

My reluctant miracle worker started running around the backyard with his arm outstretched to keep Apolo from getting the bird and to keep it from stinging him. Dave was laughing like I'd never seen him laugh before. "Get the video. Get the video."

"What do I do? What do I do?" Lucas trembled. All of a sudden, the hummingbird recognized the madness surrounding him. Certainly, he spotted the shovel and sack intended for him on the lawn and the goofy Golden Retriever face with the crooked teeth and slobbery pink tongue all ready for an after dinner snack.

The tiny gray wings geared up. The hummingbird motor kicked in to the point the fluttering wings became invisible.

And he took off. All three of us were stunned. The dead bird flew away! The flight pattern was a bit crooked but he made up and over the fence into the neighbor's yard until we could no longer see him. A few minutes later, we spotted two hummingbirds flying together directly over our heads.

Not only did Lucas save a hummingbird but maybe he saved a hummingbird family.