In the late summer and early fall, ruby-throated hummingbirds embark on their southward migration, coinciding with the growth of orb weaver spiders. These spiders become more noticeable as they increase in size. While hummingbirds often consume spiders and use their silk for nest-building, witnessing a reversal of roles between these creatures was beyond my wildest expectations.
On the night of September 16, my husband Chris and I returned home from shopping around 10 p.m. Concerned about the raccoon that frequently raids our birdseed, I headed to the back deck to bring in the feeder. As I switched on the deck light, something large caught my eye in the orb weaver web outside our kitchen window.
Chris and I had been enjoying watching the spider construct its intricate web and capture prey. However, this sight was shocking—a hummingbird was ensnared, hanging upside down in the sticky web! Initially, we thought the bird was dead, but then it moved slightly. Despite hanging upside down for hours without food and possibly enduring spider bites, the hummingbird was still alive.
We sprang into action to rescue the little bird. Chris fetched a ladder and a long pole with a net, carefully extracting the hummingbird from the web from our second-story window. He handed the bird to me on the deck. The few iridescent red feathers on its throat indicated it was a juvenile male ruby-throat, likely hatched further north last spring.
After enduring a head-rush, the hummingbird seemed relieved to be upright in my hand. However, he was weak, and his breathing was labored. He needed nourishment quickly.
Fortunately, I had fresh sugar water (one part sugar dissolved in four parts water) prepared in my refrigerator for my hummingbird feeders. I poured it into a small nectar feeder and coaxed the frail bird to drink.
The sugar water revived the hummingbird quickly. He regained enough strength to sit upright and perch, but he couldn’t fly yet. This allowed me to check for any injuries. Initially, he couldn’t stretch out his right wing because it was stuck to his tail feathers with strong spider silk. I feared his feet were injured too, but after gently removing more silk, he regained full movement.
Our main concern now was to restore the hummingbird’s energy so he could continue his migration. We offered more sugar water, which he eagerly sipped. Once he was full, I placed him on a perch in a small animal carrier in a dark, quiet bathroom to rest overnight.
The next morning, we were relieved to see the hummingbird doing well. He appeared stronger after a good night’s rest. After more sugar water, he started to fly. To better test his flight ability, we moved him from the carrier in our bathroom to a screened-in hammock on our deck. I noticed his tail feathers weren’t splaying properly, causing him to fly backward. More spider silk removal was needed.
After a few trials, the hummingbird seemed fully capable of flying, steering, and sipping from the feeder. I considered that he might need to regain more strength for the long journey ahead, but that would be best done in the wild. It was time to let him go.
For one last time, I held the little ruby-throat in my hand as I took him out of the screened-in hammock to the deck. Just before release, another hummingbird came to one of my feeders, seemingly encouraging the little guy with its buzzing wings and chirps. As I opened my hand, the juvenile male sped high into the treetops. After perching on a bare branch to preen his feathers, he flew away to continue his southward journey.
He may face storms, exhaustion, and other predators along the way, but hopefully, he now knows to avoid large spider webs!
As for the spotted orb weaver spider, she was unharmed in this incident. The next day, we saw her capture, wrap, and consume a large praying mantis—one less predator for the hummingbirds to worry about!