This spring, for the very first time, I have a hummingbird nest. It is about the size of an egg cup, and it sits in the Y of a maple tree branch just a few feet from my back porch. I hoped to have a picture to post, but my camera just isn't capable of that kind of zoom from the best vantage point, and taking it from the porch means shooting through the screen, which doesn't work well either. Besides, the little winged mama is not so happy with having her picture taken, and she zooms from the nest if she senses we are too close to her little home.
From what I can see, the eggs are not yet hatched. She comes and goes, but I see no signs of her feeding any little ones. I saw a male hovering about for a couple days by the feeder we hung, but haven't seen him in a while. Not a lot of activity at the feeder right now, unless you count the ants.
I find myself very excited, and very protective of my little family. she is a good 25 feet from the ground, so the neighborhood cats are not such a worry sitting in wait. The branch on which she nested is too small to hold the weight of a tree animal, so I think she is safe in that regard. They are forecasting storms tonight, and I worry about the nest being tossed and blown in its skinny branch. I fear she could lose her eggs, or her nest, entirely. I'm worried about my little family! We'll be saying an extra prayer for her safety, and the safety of her babies.
Nature is often a miraculous thing, but we don't have a, pardon the pun, bird's-eye view to its wonder. It took 48 years for me to have the opportunity to see such a gloriously small creature waiting patiently for her chicks to hatch--and I may never have the chance again. But this spring, for a few weeks, I can say I am watching and waiting in delightful anticipation as God produces a miracle right outside my window. Be safe, little mother, in your little nest, and God hold you close "til your little ones can take their own flights into the summer sun.
The babies are here!!!!!
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