Tonight around 7:40 PM while I was shopping at the Tractor Supply Company
store in Westminster, I saw a hummingbird flying inside the store.

The bird had apparently been in the store all day without food and was
unable to escape. It was flying across the warehouse ceiling and perching
briefly on the overhead pipes.

A customer had pointed out the hummingbird to store employees earlier, but
no one had thought to call a wildlife rehabilitation center or put up a
feeder.

I asked the store manager if I could attempt to lure the bird into a net
with a red lure lashed to a length or PVC ( I have actually netted a
hummingbird trapped in a bank barn in this manner), but he refused citing
liability concerns. I offered to go up the street and bring back some
hummingbird feeders to hang from the ceiling pipes, but the manager said
that the store would be closing in a few minutes. He said that he would
contact the store's owner Tuesday and would look into hanging up a feeder
and putting out seed.

It may be too late, but I intend to bring filled hummingbird feeders to the
store at 8AM. I will contact all the area wildlife rehabilatators tomorrow
morning.

If anyone has any ideas on how to help this bird or knows someone who might
have the authority to intervene, please let them know that a Ruby-throated
Hummingbird was trapped in the TSC store on 1151 Baltimore Blvd (Route 140)
in Westminster (410) 848-2060 as of 8 PM tonight.

Felicia Lovelett
Sykesville, MD
(410) 489-7169