domesticity a la hummingbird

I sat in the shade in my chair near the pond facing the hummingbird nest and waited patiently to see if something would happen. And it did. Mama Colubris came darting in and, after a little hesitation (undoubtedly due to her seeing me), she snuck around the back way and into the nest where she energetically fed her babies. She fed them alternately, two times each. One of them, possibly slightly bigger than the other, lifted itself up so that its entire head could be seen as mama pumped her bill down his beak and regurgitated the precious, life-giving meal. It almost looks as though she would impale the babies but, hey, let's grant the fact that she knows what she's doing!

It was a warm sunny morning with strong winds from the south whipping up the creek water which was already in the reverse flow of a rising tide. Purple Martins were feeding low on the creek flying with and even among Common and Least Terns; they were virtually skimming across the water but of course not diving. Apparently, even in the strong wind gusts, there were flying insects to be nabbed. Even more surprisingly a hummingbird came zipping across the creek (at a slightly higher altitude). Could Mama Hummingbird be feeding somewhere on Pine Neck on the other side of the creek? It might seem like quite a stretch for a tiny mite of a bird but if they can make it across the Gulf of Mexico in migration, I suppose there's no reason they couldn't commute across Weesuck Creek.

Eric Salzman