Monumental happenings at least daily, more really. Baby showed wings first time yesterday, test fluttering them over the rim of the nest, was stunning. Emily keeps much closer after these first few nights of leaving baby alone where she was of course close, yet nowhere to be seen almost all day but for fleeting feedings that are easy to miss.
A silver lining to the complete lack of monsoonal rain–if there ever even could be such a thing–is no need to sweat how the baby is doing alone in the nest with one of those raging. Mountain monsoons this time of year can pack a major wallop. Was already enough of a wreck that first night she was not in the nest. Emily’s now almost constant proximity seems to be on lookout for the baby to make first airborne move.
Astonishing for a tiny blind blob of wingless skin born eleven days ago to be on the verge of flight. This proximity to one of the true crown jewels of all Nature has revealed to me the universe.
Emily’s relationship with me continues to be mysterious and flighty. Still need to tell the tale of how we first met and some our subsequent interactions. Meantime, a new green Broad Tail has appeared in the last day or two, a male, Chet, and Emily and he have been playing at full scale fueled by the new feeder nectar and a temporary three or four degree cooling reprieve. She takes a break mid zoom, hovers over the baby, tightens a spot or three where the nest gets stretched, and then returns to the zoom games–unless Chet goes full Trump and zooms Emmy when she’s at work. The two of them are now about constantly together.
Hummingbirds have a lot of style and joie de vivre. A classic and rich pair of aces that only the best can pull off and is rarely beat. Lord Byron. Frank Sinatra. Audrey Hepburn. JFK. Por ejemplo.
Just utterly awesome.
Will give them more space as continue to integrate the experience on Monday, whose momentary medicine administration has been at least equally life altering as this massive monthlong dose of Hummingbird Medicine.
Glory be to the Supreme Architect.
❏