Fastest Things on Wings

Rescuing Hummingbirds in Hollywood

By: Terry Masear

Narrated by: Bailey Carr

A heartwarming account of the trials and triumphs a hummingbird rehabber encounters while caring for her tiny, fragile patients.

Before he collided with a limousine, Gabriel, an Anna's hummingbird with a head and throat cloaked in iridescent magenta feathers, could spiral 130 feet in the air, dive 60 miles per hour in a courtship display, hover, and fly backward. When he arrived in rehab caked in road grime, he was so badly injured that he could barely perch. But Terry Masear, one of the busiest hummingbird rehabbers in the country, was determined to save this damaged bird, who seemed oddly familiar.

During the four months that Terry worked with Gabriel, she took in 160 hummingbirds, from a miniature nestling rescued by a bulldog and a fledgling trapped inside a skydiving wind tunnel at Universal CityWalk to Pepper, a female Anna's injured on a film set.

In their time together, Pepper and Gabriel formed a special bond, and together, with Terry's help, learned to fly again. Woven around Gabriel's and Pepper's stories are those of other colorful birds in this personal narrative filled with the science and magic surrounding these fascinating creatures.

©2015 Terry Masear (P)2016 Audible, Inc.

Birdwatching with a personal touch, just one bird.

This is an unassuming memoir of a hummingbird rescue person. Who knew so many hummingbirds needed rescuing? She takes the reader through the daily details of many rescues and the personalities of several birds weave the anecdotes together.
We have shared this book with two dear friends who have especially enjoyed it

Fascinating Story

This story describes a small and beautiful part of nature that goes beyond our human understanding. Learning about hummingbirds and how they live (and die) side by side with humans was fascinating. It’s an incredible story about hummingbird rescue and the intense toll it takes on the rescuers.

a genuinely unique adventure

So many contemporary stories are slap-dash formulaic wastes of time....this one is not. It's an interesting, informative, uplifting and real account of a service ministry with all its joy and crushing frustration.

interesting hummingbird info

The arc of her foray into hummingbird rescue is fascinating but she has a somewhat patronizing attitude towards the public bringing her birds to rescue. On the other hand her devotion to her little feathered patients is truly fanatical. One wonders why she never asks for help from the clearly interested ranks of hummingbird enthusiasts. The narrator's voice is more tolerable if listened to at 1.5X speed.

Wonderful

I loved listening to this book, and I thought the narration was excellent. I have such respect for the work Masear does, and I know so much more about hummingbirds now.