Baby Hummingbirds

Joan and I have been watching a pair of baby hummingbirds as they rapidly grow. At first they were just hypothetical eggs being kept warm by mama, tucked into a lichen-clad nest she'd carefully built in a pear tree barely a dozen feet from our house.

We checked every day, waiting for signs of hatching. We would wonder, "Is that the tip of a beak peeking over the edge?" One day we were certain it was.

There were two chicks, one larger than the other, likely having broken out of its shell a day or two earlier. (Click on the image to enlarge.)

My, how you've grown!

Mama was very busy feeding the hungry ones, even when she was harassing a juvenile owl hanging around our yard one day. Begging is mandatory.

Me! Me! Me!

Bigger sib seems to get fed first.

Mom knows how to fix 'em.

But Mama doesn't ignore the smaller one.

Smaller sibling's turn.

Every day the nest is more crowded. It's a good thing they don't weigh much, or the one in the lower bunk might get crushed.

When one gets restless or needs to exercise those untested wings, well, it's awkward, isn't it?

It's getting close to their departure date. Some morning at least one will have flown.