The Courtyard Hummers

The last of our summer hummer babies.  Despite this nest being right outside our livingroom window, we somehow missed Mama hummingbird building a nest, laying eggs, sitting on said nest, and repeatedly feeding babies.  But we did finally find this lovely, hidden-in-plain-view surprise on Jun 15 (maybe the babies were a week old?), and our time with them ended on Jun 23, when both babies disappeared right while I was standing in the courtyard with my back to them.  I don’t think they were quite fly-ready, but one moment they were there and the next they were gone.  Mystery.

You can find our other hummingbird chronicles here.

Hummingbirds: the chapter summaries

1 Mama, 1 nest, 2 clutches of 2 babies, spanning Mar 25 to Jun 12, 2014…


First Nest: 
Part 1
Part 2

Second Nest:
Part 0 (meaning, I found one more after I linked everything else. d’oh!)
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6

Second nest Chronicles: empty nest syndrome

 Hummingbird babies don’t go very far when they first leave the nest.  These little ones stayed in our bougainvillea bush for another couple days (maybe longer).  Spotting them was a little bit like finding Waldo.  The dudes were much better at that game than I was; little hummers blend in surprisingly well.  The pictures from here on out are with my 200mm lens (and a couple are cropped for closer detail).

They fluff and clean and preen …All three hummers (babies & mama) are in the picture below. Flight practice.  One baby flew confidently earlier than did the other.  And returned to keep his (her?) sibling company. Stretching wings … Mama hummingbirds keep feeding babies for a couple days after they leave the nest..  At the same time she shows them “around”, where to find the best bugs and nectar … before she chases them away to live on their own.  Mamas will sometimes re-use the same nest year to year.  Or another hummer might use the nest.  Thus, we are leaving this one right where it is.  We are quite amenable to it being re-inhabited!

Second Nest Chronicles: flying the coop

June 9, morning and evening … June 10, 9:15a 4:00p 4:50p.  And just like that, they had left the nest. I do have one more set of pictures.  Two more days with our hummer babies …

The Second Nest Chronicles: babies at 3 weeks

The hummer babies by 3 weeks old are completely adorable.  And quite cozy in the nest, pushing the sides out a bit.

A note about my photographic process … For most of these pictures, I’m about 12 inches from the nest, shooting with a 100mm macro lens.  The picture directly below is pretty much what the lens captures at 12” away.  The picture directly below that (the super close-up) is simply a cropped version.  The macro lens makes everything appear larger than actuality.  The nest, at this point, has stretched out to about 1.5 inches diameter (at the top). At three weeks, they’re both starting to stretch their wings, fluff/flap, and even stand up on the edge of the nest.  And I love the little flecks of irridescent green popping up in their feathers. They are now a mere 4 days away from exiting the nest.

Continuing the Second Nest Chronicles

and facts.  Lots more facts.  Baby hummers start stretching their wings by gripping the silky nest with their toes.  No risk of falling out.Mama feeds her babies by regurgitating insects and nectar deep into their mouths.    I would often see their tongues quickly darting in and out after a feeding.Hummers are born already “toilet trained.”  They do their very best to dispose of poop over the side of the nest.  (see dark spots all over surrounding leaves)  I was very nearly pooped upon several times.  There’s very little warning for their projectile ways! Check out the changing color of their beaks… Oh hello, EYELASHES!!!!  (and look at all that spider silk on the nest, tops and sides)