Local animal rescue sees influx of hummingbird rescues

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Around this time of year, hummingbirds can find themselves in trouble as they rush to fly south before it’s too late. For local animal rescuers, getting these little ones back in the air is a priority for them.

“The hummingbirds know from the position of the sun, the fact that there is not many flowers blooming and the insects become fewer and they go south,” said Penny Elliston, president of Wildlife Rescue Incorporate of New Mexico. 

This migration is thousands of miles and sometimes dangerous.  

“Many birds fly into windows and get concussions, sometimes they survive,” said Elliston. 

Elliston says the best thing to do if you come across an injured bird is to keep an eye on it. 

“The do’s for the birds lying on the ground stunned are to put it in a dark box and bring it to wildlife rescue,” she said. “Or if it starts to try to get out of the box and seems to be perfectly healthy you can just open the box and let the thing fly away.” 

Elliston says it’s important we look out for our feathery neighbors.  

“We are another animal living in the same environment that all these neighborly animals live in, and they should try and make friends with their roadrunners and finches and try to protect them from the kinds of danger that we present,” she said. 

If you are in the Albuquerque area and you come across any injured birds, you can bring them to Wildlife Rescue Incorporated. People can also call the rescue at (505)-344-2500 and they will give you advice on how to handle it.