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.

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.

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.

wonderful

I really enjoyed listening to this book and learning so much about hummingbird care. so glad our world has people like Terry!

Surprisingly engaging & informative!

I love hummingbirds, but part of me thought I was crazy for choosing to listen to almost 13 hours of a book about them. Now I know I would be crazy NOT to recommend this book to other people!!

Terry has a mastery of prose that is pleasant to listen to, and her stories about her rescued hummingbirds are moving, shocking, surprising, and super engaging. I also learned SO much about these magical birds that will help me support their majestic wildness even better in my own backyard.

And the narrator is EXCELLENT! She does believable, consistent voices for different characters that really brings the book to life.

If you're on the fence about committing this many hours of your life to a book about birds, just do it! I promise it will be worth it!

It’s worth it!

The story is great. I loved all her anecdotes and memories and got used the the snarky attitude the author convened once I understood the constant demands out on her. The narrator seemed to force and over exaggerate the tone of the book the first hour or so. It was not very appealing and if I didn’t like the subject at hand or have a curiosity for how hummingbird rehabilitation works I might have stopped listening. I totally recommend reading this book and if you choose to or must listen hang in there. After the first 2 hours it gets way better. The narrator backs off a little and the story finds its proper voice. I listened at 1.25 speed to ease some of the exaggerated pronunciations and awkward pauses. All in all the story is beautifully written peppered 😊 with just enough facts about the amazing birds. I learned a lot and enjoyed almost all the content.

Saved By Kindle

This book offers a fascinating and in-depth look at hummingbirds and hummingbird rescue operations in Hollywood California. It is funny, fact filled and brimming with quirky insights about life in southern California. It's as much about the rescuers as the birds they are trying to help. But, believe me, you will learn a great deal about the birds too.

My problem lies in the narration. The voice is hard to describe--sort of Valley Girl meets Betty Boop. It grates from the start and then becomes intolerable after an hour for me. Somehow the narrator makes everything the author has to say seem trite and just plain stupid. Enter my Kindle. It turns out I purchased the whisper-sync when I bought the book. I don't usually do this unless it is some sort of deal/cheaper offer. Hum. Thank goodness I did because it has really paid off. I was easily able to switch over to reading instead of listening and the book was saved for me.

Be sure to listen to the sample to decide if the narrator will be ok for you. Be aware that if I was rating just the audio recorded version my rating would have been all one stars. The higher stars rated here for story and overall are for the Kindle version only. Good book--terrible narration.

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.

Good book, bad narration

The book was interesting and I enjoyed it very much. I would have enjoyed it more if not for the narrator. Weirdly timed pauses in mid sentences and uncomfortable pronunciation.