~ baby hummingbirds - day 19-20 ~

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Once again, my dad has graciously allowed me to share his photographs

of the two baby hummingbirds that are living in his yard.

For the previous entries,

documenting them from eggs until the present,

please see here:

Eggs

1-3 days old

4-9 days old

10-16 days old

17 days old

18 days old

day 19

~ momma hummingbird feeding her twins ~

(picture by my mom, Carolyn)

day 19

Hummingbirds often choose nesting sites near where woodland hawks nest.

These fast-flying hawks (like the sharp-shinned and cooper's in the East)

prey on the predators of hummingbirds.

day 20

day 20

They should be fledging any day now!

My dad says they are doing a lot of preening, flapping their wings,

and even hopping out of the nest.

Once they've left their nest,

they will not return,

but their mother will feed them for a few days.

~carrie~

~ baby hummingbirds - day 18 ~

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Today is day 18 for the baby ruby throats!

My dad has taken a lot more wonderful pictures of these little soon-to-be-flying gems,

so please enjoy his photography!

See that little hint of green on the tips of the feathers?

It seem the first hints of iridescence are appearing.

In the bird world, feather color arises in two ways.

First is pigment, and you see this in the reds of cardinals, browns of thrashers, and yellows of goldfinches.

Blues and iridescent colors are not pigments.

Instead, they are a special optical phenomenon, 

caused by the light hitting specially layered structures in the feathers.

The light is reflected in such a way that the color is only visible at certain angles.

(I'm biting my tongue to give a more scientific explanation!)

So when you see a lovely iridescent green hummingbird, or a regal bluebird,

you are only seeing the color because of their magic trick.

If the hummingbird darts in a different direction,

you may not be able to see the iridescence, and instead the bird will appear grayish.

These little babies are probably going to be leaving the nest in the next day or so!  

They look like they're ready to fly and learn about the big wide world around them.

~carrie~

~ baby hummingbirds - day 17 ~

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Today is day 17 for these sweet baby ruby-throated hummingbirds!

For reference, here they are on day 3, just 2 weeks ago!  

Isn't it incredible?

Also it's amazing that in the span of a few days,

pin feathers have been transformed into 'real' body and flight feathers.

Check out that little wing poking up!

An interesting tidbit that I learned is that the babies are considered to be 'cold-blooded' (ectothermic)

until about 10-12 days old when the pin feathers burst open into true feathers.

Being ectothermic simply means that their internal temperature

is dependent upon the temperature of the surrounding environment,

an they are unable to maintain the proper body temperature.

During these first 2 weeks, the mother must keep them warm,

often by vibrating her body and wings,

in addition to the constant feeding of insects and nectar.

After they have these true feathers, they are 'warm-blooded' (endothermic)

and able to maintain their own body heat,

so the mother doesn't sit on the nest anymore.

In fact she only visits to give them food,

in order to avoid attracting predators.

These sweet little ones should be fledging in a few days!  

~carrie~

~ baby hummingbirds - day 10-16 ~

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Once again, a huge thank you to my dad, Richard T. Jones,

for taking - and allowing me to use - all the photographs in this post!  

Day 10

Day 11
My dad observed some strange whistling-whining noises from the babies.

He said it sounded like an old-school camera flash whine.

Day 12
I see the lower baby has an eye open!  

Day 13
Beaks are rapidly developing now.

Day 13

Day 14

Day 14

Day 14

Day 14

Looking smug.  

Day 15

Still pin feathers, but look at those eyelashes!

Day 15

Day 15

Day 15

Day 15

Day 15

Day 16

My dad says that the nest is amazing.

It is flexible and he says it flexes with their breathing,

appearing to inflate and deflate.

Day 16

Day 16

Day 16

Day 16

Day 16

Hummingbird twins....did you know that hummingbirds almost always lay two eggs?

Apparently it is the optimum number, one or three is very rare.

~ baby hummingbirds - day 4-9

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More baby hummingbirds!  

Here they are again, with a quarter for comparison, on Day 3.

(photo courtesy of Richard T. Jones)

Day 4

(photo courtesy of Richard T. Jones)

Day 6

(photo courtesy of Richard T. Jones)

Day 8

See that little beak poking up?

(photo courtesy of Richard T. Jones)

Day 8

Pin feathers are starting to emerge

(photo courtesy of Richard T. Jones)

Day 9

It's getting crowded in there!

(photo courtesy of Richard T. Jones)

On 9th day, there was a terrible storm at my parents' home.

My dad stood on the screen porch, watching the nest through binoculars.

The mother hummingbird swooped in, 

settled on the nest and fanned her wings out over her babies.

She sat there, protecting them, through the storm,

with her long, slender bill pointed straight to the sky.

Day 10

Look closely and you'll see these sweet twins with their beaks crossed.

Their pin feathers are starting to poke through on their heads now.

(photo courtesy of Richard T. Jones)

The growth rate of these tiniest of birds is astounding.

Their devoted mother sure is taking good care of them.  

My dad says that when he climbs the ladder to take the daily picture,

the babies don't move or make a single sound.

Tomorrow I'll finish posting the last of the pictures, 

and then from there I'll be caught up!

~carrie~

~ baby hummingbirds - day 1-3 ~

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Yesterday I shared pictures of the hummingbird nest 

we found on our trip to Virginia.

These eggs are the size of cooked pinto beans.

Today I'm sharing pictures that my dad took

on their first 3 days out of their eggs, 

where they had spent the previous 18 days.

Remember that the inside circumference of the nest is about the size of a quarter.

Hatching Day!

See the eggshell still in their nest?
Whew, they must have been cramped in there,
and I'll bet their glad to have some wiggle room.

In this first one, they are about the size of a small butterbean!

(photo courtesy of Richard T. Jones)

two days old!

(photo courtesy of Richard T. Jones)

three days old!

(photo courtesy of Richard T. Jones)

Isn't it amazing how quickly they have grown in just three short days?

The mother ruby-throated hummingbird feeds them regurgitated nectar and insects.

The daddy hummingbird, unlike many other bird species, is not involved whatsoever.

Tomorrow I'll share a few more pictures of the baby hummingbirds, 

until I catch up to them in 'real-time.'

Today they are 13 days old.  

~carrie~

~ a rare find ~

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The weekend we went to Virginia for my cousin's graduation,

I found a very special and rare treasure.

Saturday evening we were coming home late

from dropping off the girls' grandmother

and the Daddy heard a hummingbird 

give a little twitter and fly away.

"She must have a nest nearby," he said as we walked in the house.

The next day I went looking for her nest, 

and sure enough I found it,

only about 8 feet off the ground

in an oak tree right next the the porch.

Can you find it in the picture above?

It was so beautiful, so sweet,

made of bits of lichen and cobwebs.

For size reference, I am holding my phone.  

The inside circumference is the size of a quarter.

Ruby-throated hummingbirds 

(the only hummingbird to regularly visit east of the Mississippi River)

almost always lay two eggs.

"The twins," my dad calls them.

They were about the size of a cooked pinto bean,

and a beautiful creamy white.

My dad has been documenting their development daily,

and has given me permission to share his photographs.

Check back tomorrow for pictures of newly hatched hummers!

(They are now 12 days old!)

~carrie~