ONE HUMMER'S GOT PLENTY OF GAS, WITH FAMILY'S HELP.Byline: Jennifer Radcliffe Staff Writer GRANADA HILLS - When Stacie's limp body was found covered with ants earlier this week, 9-year-old Alex Tashjian demanded that his mother call 911. ``They always come for an emergency,'' the distraught boy pleaded. But Diana Tashjian held her ground: You can't call an ambulance to save a baby hummingbird hummingbird, common name for members of the family Trochilidae, small, strictly New World birds, related to the swifts, and found chiefly in the mountains of South America. Hummingbirds vary in size from a 2 1-4-in. . So the family of five has made a full-time job of nursing Stacie back to health. And the small, green-and-brown bird appears to be beating the odds - she's back on her feet, flapping her wings and being visited regularly by her mother. ``This is a miracle for this bird,'' Diana Tashjian said. It all started Sunday when Alex spotted the mother hummingbird hovering hov·er intr.v. hov·ered, hov·er·ing, hov·ers 1. To remain floating, suspended, or fluttering in the air: gulls hovering over the waves. 2. over her baby's seemingly lifeless life·less adj. 1. Having no life; inanimate. 2. Having lost life; dead. See Synonyms at dead. 3. Not inhabited by living beings; not capable of sustaining life. 4. body in their yard. The Tashjian family, including 5-year-old Kayla and 7-year-old Carlo, spent the rest of the week consulting with experts, protecting Stacie from predators and making a replacement nest out of an egg carton An egg carton is a container designed for carrying and transporting eggs. These cartons have a dimpled form in which each dimple accommodates an individual egg and isolates that egg from eggs in adjacent dimples. . They leave the nest on a table under a tree during the day so the 2-week-old bird's mother can find it. They check on Stacie constantly, and freeze when they hear chirping chirp n. A short, high-pitched sound, such as that made by a small bird or an insect. intr.v. chirped, chirp·ing, chirps To make a short, high-pitched sound. that indicates that Mom is nearby and wanting to feed her baby. ``I can't believe a bird like this would have so much impact on the family,'' said Gabriel Tashjian, Alex's father. Experts said hummingbirds This is a complete list of hummingbirds in alphabetical order, sortable by common or binomial name. For hummingbirds in taxonomic order, see list of hummingbirds in taxonomic order Name binomial Allen's Hummingbird Selasphorus sasin Amazilia Hummingbird aren't pets and that, in most cases, fallen babies need to be taken to licensed rehabilitators. But because the mother hummingbird was able to find and feed Stacie, the outlook for her survival is good. The mother provides nutrients that aren't available in the sugar water the family feeds Stacie through a dropper drop·per n. A device that produces drops, especially a small tube with a suction bulb at one end for drawing in a liquid and releasing it in drops. Also called instillator. dropper 1. . ``No matter what we do, we simply can't replicate that,'' Beth Caskie, executive director of the California Wildlife Center in Malibu, said of the mother's care. Rescue centers are swamped with injured in·jure tr.v. in·jured, in·jur·ing, in·jures 1. To cause physical harm to; hurt. 2. To cause damage to; impair. 3. baby birds this time of the year, Caskie said, so it's wonderful that the family is taking proper steps to restore the bird's health and return it to its mother. The Tashjians suspect the pint-sized bird will be well enough to take flight any day. For more information on wild birds, see www.californiawildlifecenter.org Jennifer Radcliffe, (818) 713-3722 jennifer.radcliffe(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1 -- 2) The Tashjian kids, from left, Kayla, Carlo and Alex are taking care of an injured newborn hummingbird, below, they found beneath a tree in their back yard. Above, Alex feeds the bird with a large eye dropper. John Lazar/Staff Photographer |
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