Hummingbirds

For the last two years when we arrived here in October, a mother hummingbird has been building a nest on a hook on our porch. This year she was busily at it when we unlocked the front door.  A few days later she settled down into the quarter-sized nest to stare at us as we stared at her while sipping wine and gin and tonic. A week and half later we noticed she was leaving the nest for longer periods of time. Eventually, we saw tiny beaks sticking out of the nest. The next several weeks we watched the tiny, tiny things grow into tiny birds.

 

 

Mom taking a break.

 

 

See, Bro, this is how you do it.

 

 

Crap. You mean I gotta do this by myself?

 

 

This is the last time I'm feeding you. Get out of the house!

 

 

Yo, Ma. Lookit me!

 

All three of them continue to hang around, drinking from the feeder, dive-bombing us as we sit on the porch and attacking any other hummers that come close to "their" feeder. Dee talks to the mother: "Oh, what a pretty girl you are. Yes, you are." She whistles tunes to them. Tells them that we mean them no harm.

 

According to my reading they will head north across the Gulf sometime in late January/early February for a summer up north before returning here in September/October.