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!
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!
1 comment:
These are some of the most beautiful images of hummers I have ever seen...and I look at lots of photos! So glad we got to witness this through your eyes.
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