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Flying the Coop

On the 21st day of the eldest' life I checked on the babies and the eldest (Sugarbaby) is gone. Only one baby remained. I scanned the garden area and saw not Sugarbaby nor Mom around. Looking out the window a few minutes later there was Sugarbaby perched merrily on the yellow rope barrier surveying her new world off of the porch.

She must have felt both elated and afraid. Elated since the nest had become so incredibly cramped and she was now free from it. Afraid since this new world was so large and unknown. Still the remainder of that day was spent testing her new flying ability going to and from the nest. The remaining baby(Lilbaby) would flap furiously and almost lift off but would hold tight with her feet to the nest. She just wasn't quite ready to solo. As luck would have it the next morning around 10 AM with my video camera running the little girl finally made her move. I caught her very first flight (a little wobbly with her non-existent tail pumping furiously for stability) on tape. She flew only about 12", just out of sight of the camera to a point higher on the rose bush. Sugarbaby immediately flew to her and landed on her (no idea why). I hurried out and picked the camera up and as I did Sugarbaby flew over to the yellow rope leaving Lilbaby on her new thorny perch not knowing exactly what she had gotten herself into. The next flight ended on a Murphy's cactus. Sugarbaby immediately flew to her and tried to land on her again (again I don't know why, maybe this was the beginning of her displaying of dominance, she would now be the most aggressive of the two, something that is still true today). While flying seemed relatively easy for the little girl, hovering was more unsteady (as it is the most difficult part of learning to fly a helicopter I've been told).

Photo Courtesy of Carl Saucier

By far though, landing was the biggest challenge (frequently the case with many fixed-wing pilots I've taught). It wasn't so much the landing as the 'Where to Land?' that was difficult. An hour later Lilbaby landed on some small flowers and as she tried to sit there they very slowly tipped over under her massive weight. On video you can see her hanging there nearly upside down probably thinking she should have flown away sooner rather than later. After several furious attempts to right herself unsuccessfully she remained nearly inverted. At this point Mom flew to her and hovered inches from her giving encouragement and in subtle momly hummerspeak whispered, "just let go" That seemed to do the trick because on her next flapping attempt she just let go and Voila! she was flying again. Each baby would return to the nest for a day or two but neither spent the night in it after their first flight. Mom also would not sleep there after the second's flight but she would frequently go to the nest during the day. Not sure why, perhaps to assess it for future use, or make sure it was indeed empty. "now where did I put that last kid?....hmmm". I did not discover where Sugarbaby or Mom were spending their nights but the shy and timid Lilbaby slept on the end of a rose branch for several weeks about 2 feet from her former home. It was then that I realized what great camouflage they have when sleeping or just holding very still. While sleeping they pull their necks back and point their bills up at about a 45-60 degree angle......from a distance they look just like a leaf hanging from a tree.


Is this a leaf or a hummer?? It's actually a photo of one of my little girls that has been silhouetted. Also serving as a first line of defense, time permitting, a hummer will pull his head back and cock it up then freeze (time not permitting, they just freeze). This will be a sign of perceived danger, an approaching hummer, human, or whatever. Watch them sometime and you'll see that behavior whenever they don't want to be noticed, even if already perched at a feeder.


Mom's Departure

Mom stayed around for longer than I thought she would. She still fed her kids on average a couple of times an hour for the next 12 days. They would not venture far, just mostly my front yard and an occasional quick trip to the neighbors. I watched as they pitifully experimented with what flowers would be good. All I had in front were: hibiscus, dwarf roses, bougainvilla,

(hibiscus & bougainvilla photos courtesy of Carl Saucier)a few gladiolas and some tiny flowers in clusters on a bush (the landing mistake). None I suspect are particularly good for nectar. Maybe the hibiscus or gladiolas I don't know. It was pitiful watching them relentlessly try and push their still somewhat short beaks into a rosebud that was far from opening. They would fly against it until it would push and bend from their force. With more success, the babies and other hummers would actually grip the bottom petal of the gladiolas and hibiscus then pull themselves inside it while hovering. Still they did learn and they always had Mom to count on if food eluded them. She would fly back in the yard and let out a metallic 'CHIK CHIK' sound and they would immediately puff into little balls wherever they were perched and begin a shrill "EEE EEE" sound. It was kind of a cross between a squeak and a cheep. That's how Mom would find them and give them a little to eat.

(Hear Mom arrive & them squeak for food)

After their first full week of flying I placed a small feeder in the front yard. They didn't take long to break the code on what that was. I had refrained from doing so before because I didn't want to attract unwanted attention to Mom's nesting site. One scare happened about the 10th day. Mom showed up with string or something caught on her foot and dangling from her. I was worried because she had it into late evening when I last saw her. Luckily the next day it was gone and posed no more danger to her. Mom continued to feed them for 12 days but on the 13th day she was gone. I didn't see her at all that day. I doubt she was ever there since me and her kids had taken to sitting on the porch together during the hot part of the day. I think I would've seen her had she been around. They would sit only inches from me on the rose bush and me in a lawn chair. Occasionally leaving to get a nip of nectar or whatever but always coming right back to that spot. Fights between the 2 kids had been getting worse since the day they started flying and they bickered often. Once I stuck my hand between the 2 and they treated it like any other obstacle in the yard bobbing up and down to get to each other. Lilbaby was the least aggressive and when she was done she would perch near me knowing that I would shield her from her sister. I'd cup my hand around Lilbaby's back about an inch from her when Sugarbaby would fly up to her from behind. In front I'd just place my hand in between the 2. This usually resulted in Sugarbaby finally sitting down on a twig a few inches away looking totally disgusted complaining about it in her squeaky cheepish little voice. Once while they were sitting very close to each other, Sugarbaby casually leaned down and tried to bite Lilbaby's foot. I started to point my finger at her and my movement caused her to stop her attempt. Kids! Sheesh!.


(Even with the fighting, they did manage to have a few tender moments alone)

Their 14th day as fledglings and 2nd day without Mom would turn into our first scorcher of the summer, 108 -110 degrees. (What native Arizonans would call a 'warm one'). The word 'hot' doesn't get used much if at all by the natives. The kids were on the porch much of the day. All morning there was no sign of Mom. Then just as the heat became intense, there she was, Mom! She spent all day, after being absent the day before, feeding her children again. My heart went out to her, coming and going so many times enduring that scorching heat.

The heat must have made her come back to ensure her children were OK during that intensely 'warm' day. The next day she may have been there infrequently but, then she was gone. She left the yard to her children and moved on as hummingbirds do. They are solitary creatures after all. I'd like to think I saw her a few times since then stopping by to check on things. At least once I do believe she was there:

A black-chinned female landed in my yucca plant a few feet from me one day. It had been her favorite lookout point during her family days. She sat there looking at me for a full minute and then left as she had come, silently. She didn't even take the opportunity to take a sip of the kid's feeder before leaving. I did take a moment to tell her that her kids were fine and that she should be very proud of them. She may not have understood that but I'd like to think she did.

I hope she is well. I miss her.


June Turns To July

With Mom gone, my adopted children were truly on their own. Since I was beginning to learn the myriad of sounds made by hummers, at some point I figured the little girls should know me by my own unique sound since they were ranging farther and farther away. The exception to this was the two days immediately following our first wind/dust storm of the summer. The winds were intense and I worried about the kids being OK. They were OK, but remained pretty much on the front porch or very close for the next two days. It must have scared them badly, but eventually they began venturing out again. Anyway, the only whistle I can make that carries any distance is by cupping my hands together and sounding like blowing into a conch shell. My mother would call us that way as kids in Venezuela. It sounds a little like a dove call and seems to work on the doves pretty well. My intent was not to mimic hummers but rather to allow them to know that when they hear that sound, I'm around. It did work. I could go outside and whistle and within 30 seconds usually one, or the other, or both girls would show up.

(Fanny at Battle-Stations)
Since then several other hummers, most notably the little Costa's female I call Fanny have learned to associate that sound with me. Fanny when trying to own the front yard knows other hummers will soon be there so she gets close to me and goes to Battle-Stations (an undesired effect). When she isn't trying to dominate, she knows access to the feeders in front will be easier when I'm around so again she shows right up. As July arrived all seemed well except for fights between the two kids which were becoming more frequent. I knew they would soon need their own territory. But still, it was very nice sitting on the front porch with my little girls there. I even got a little mister to help cut the heat a little for them and me. During this time I found Lilbaby taking a bath in a cactus leaf early one morning after the sprinklers had run. The thorns on the edge of the leaf seemed to be no problem to her. Over time I've taken video of many of her baths. She is hysterical flopping around, even using the leaf as a slide, and ending up with a very spiky punk hairdo. I would use a small 2 gallon garden sprayer to give her baths when the sprinklers hadn't run and that was well received by her, her sister, and even Fanny the little Costa's girl that hasn't arrived on the scene yet.

I did manage to spend time with Lilbaby on the front porch and Sugarbaby on the back porch. They kind of divided up the yard that way and it cut down on their fighting quite a bit. Trouble was looming on the horizon however. In early July, family arrived for us to go on a much anticipated houseboat trip on Lake Powell (If you ever get the chance to visit Lake Powell -- take it. It is truly a different world.) We were gone about 9 days and we had arranged for the pets and feeders to be taken care of during our absence. Before leaving I had explained to both Sugarbaby and Lilbaby that I would be back soon and everything would be OK. But you know how kids are, they kind of nod and smile at you leaving you wondering if they understood a word you said. As I got into the van that morning I could hear Lilbaby squeaking at me from a nearby sage. It was a very high pitched 'beeebeeebee' sound which was their trademark chatter around me. I hope everything would be OK as we drove off. They are wild creatures after all.

The Babies World Here Comes to an End

After a great vacation on Lake Powell I returned to not find either Sugarbaby or Lilbaby around. I would whistle and after a few seconds I would hear only a vicious fight erupt and a 'beeebeeebee' sound as one hummer chased another off. Over the next week or two I figured out that they were around but stronger more dominant hummers had taken control of those tasty feeders and the yard. My little girls managed to get to me several times only to be soundly attacked and beaten away from the yard. It was hard for me to see them attacked so viciously with them only a few months old just because I had called them to me. I tried to discourage the other hummers with little or no success. I couldn't bear hearing their frantic 'beeebeeebee' call at me as they were driven away. Both of these little girls had used a hand-feeder I had made and I had become something of a protector to them, especially the youngest Lilbaby.

Before, when other hummers would attack at our feeders I would just get in the way or raise my arms. This usually did the trick and my little girls would zoom right to me or the feeder even with my arms outstretched at the other birds. They seemed to know that it wasn't directed at them. This happened individually because together I would get the other hummer away and they would wait and then promptly fight each other. This time was different. The other hummers were very aggressive and would get to the girls well before they got anywhere near me. I finally made the difficult decision to not call them anymore and to let them find a place less dangerous than my yard. Knowing that they were being mercilessly attacked trying to come to my call was not something I could live with. It was early to mid-August by then. I no longer caught any glimpses that I could be sure were my girls. I grieved for them and again hoped that they were doing well with their own little territories.
I missed them.

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