The hummingbird babies are about 11 days old now, by our best guess.
Because of the overhead location of the nest, we have to estimate the approximate hatch day based on when we first saw Mom Hummer's baby feeding behavior.
Mom is working from before sunrise until after sunset to keep her babies fed. They are eating machines.
The babies are generally pretty calm while mom is away. They sit very still in the nest with their little beaks pointed upwards, waiting for their next meal.
When mom arrives, they start begging and gaping.
Mom is really good about feeding them both; we can see her moving side to side so they each get their turn.
The babies are most active right after she leaves. Their eyes are open now and occasionally they peek out at the world over the edge of the nest.
Their beaks are getting longer and looking more like a hummingbird. Tiny little body and wing feathers have appeared, and we saw one of the babies make some tentative wing flapping motions.
Sometimes the babies are fidgety, and the nest stretches and gets a bit misshapen as they jostle about. They both still fit inside the nest, but mom hummer has not sat on the nest with them for a number of days.
This is one of the babies, right after mom finished a feeding.
"Liberty, when it begins to take root, is a plant of rapid growth.
~ George Washington
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