In Which There Was One

And then there was one. One lone hummingbird baby, sitting in a tree. Big Sibling fledged today, after spending a few hours late yesterday and this morning testing his or her wings, stumbling a little bit before flight was achieved. Little Sibling is patiently waiting in its expanded living quarters for his or her wings to be ready. I suspect he or she will fly tomorrow.

I am sorry to see them go. It's been miraculous watching them hatch, grow, take wing, fly. A cosmic metaphor in miniature for me, which message I hope to take to heart.

In Which the Babies Stretch

They're getting ready to leave us, our little hummingbird babies. Yesterday the larger one, who probably hatched a day before its sibling, was standing up in the nest and flapping its little wings. Both are intensely interested in any little moths or bugs that flit by the nest. They are packed in as tight as sardines, and I'm astonished they haven't just popped out spontaneously when one shifts position. I think the bigger baby will be gone by the weekend, and the smaller one over the weekend. I'll be sorry to see them go. They've been fascinating to watch. It is amazing how quickly they have grown. It seems you could stand there and watch them grow, before your very eyes. Hopefully they and mama will stick around, and perhaps mama will lay another clutch.

Scroll down and note how quickly its little feathers have changed in just a few days. Isn't Nature grand!

In Which the Babies Resemble...

...gorgons. Hey, don't laugh--I think those weird head feathers look spiky and out of control, like waving serpents atop of the fearful head of a terrifying Greek mythological creature. Or like something out of a really good 1950s Japanese monster movie. Godzilla Meets the Hummingbirds! They swoop around him, pecking at his flesh! He cannot dodge their kamikaze attacks! Will Mothra help defeat Godzilla's most terrifying enemy?

I love the little heads sticking up under Mama's butt.

C'mon, isn't that a face only a mother could love?  In less than a week, though, he/she will be gorgeous!

Nest construction.

In Which Little Feathers Appear

Thank goodness V doesn't have any compunction about moving the tree branch to get photos of the baby hummingbirds (which I do, which is why my photos are so bad compared to hers). Look at those little feathers swirling around the eye. Look at that down on the back. Today they were stretching their wings for the first time. Not much wiggle room in the nest these days, and it will get worse as they get bigger this week.