Friday morning, a hummingbird check revealed that one of the pair had fledged. That's great -- but the remaining sibling looked forlorn. Out of the comforting nest, he was sitting on the pipe, facing the big world. I had a great view of his tiny body. Alarmingly...there was no wing buzzing.Thank goodness mom, in her incomparable wisdom, had not only attached bugs the ceiling, barely out of reach unless one lifts off slightly, but also laid in a supply on the pipe supporting the nest. There little Buddy sat, pecking a bit at the ones close by, preening a bit. But way too quiet.
A new cashier at the Summit has gotten into birdwatching. She thinks it's sweet how much I care, but has become an avid hummer watcher herself. Yesterday, I made a handful of visits, instead of just one. On my first arrival, she said, 'One of them is gone!!!' The next, ' Some of the students have noticed what you're watching. Just think, they're so close...but hadn't realized what a miracle is happening on the other side of the glass.' By this time, she could tell I was concerned, and, when I returned for a late lunch, she tried to reassure me: 'He'll be fine', and gave me 50 cents off my teriyaki rice bowl.
That's when I started hating that it was Friday. What would happen to him? How will I know he made it out OK...will he be cold tonight without his sibling? I had never seen one outside the nest: Was something wrong? Could there be a wing equipment malfunction?
I did my last check after work. There he was. Sitting and staring. I stayed longer than my usual brief visits, hoping to see Mom swoop in and give him a pep talk. I started wondering if this might really be Mom herself, sitting, pondering motherhood, cleaning up the scene a bit.
Then - a bit of wing buzzing! Then more and more. Then, Buddy made some quick, short flights, directly under the overhang and not anywhere near the exit arches of the wall, always returning to the pipe. I finally pulled myself away, at least knowing he was gaining confidence, but wondering now about his sense of direction.
It's Saturday. I think I'll stop in at work.
Wish I could give proper credit for the photo, but sometimes there's not enough info on a Google image search.
4 comments:
Hello, just poppin' in to say hi! Saw that you visited and I found your blog very interesting as well.
Hope you got your photo posting ironed out.
~Peruby
How lovely to read your posts. I feel like that last fledgling, finally daring to alight, but with limited direction. Thanks to your example and Miz M's encouragement, I've managed to arrive in blogland. Check me out and make me your friend. That is the only way I will be able to find myself. I still don't know how to reach you without going into my favorites. Love you my Mini Mee
Peruby, thanks for stopping in! I'm thinking it might actually have been a kink in our very old house's internet access/phone lines. That would explain why I saw evidence of the same problem on your blog...when you actually didn't have one.
Looking forward to being in your lovely neighborhood again.
DD
Hmmingbird...I sweat bullets when I posted my first comment on someone's blog!! It gets easier and easier...and the 'edit post' button is my absolute fave!!
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