Empty Nester

Empty Nester

Noel Laflin

6-17-17

Four months ago, to the day, Lucifer the Storm struck. It was a Friday, as I recall, and I feared for our tiny hummingbird nest swaying violently in the fierce wind and torrential downpour.

I ventured the cold and wet on several occasions to get a photo or two of mother hummer sitting atop the two youngsters - spreading her wings above them, much like an avenging angel - and clinging tightly with her tiny talons to the edges of her tightly built nest. She held the position until I could no longer see them in the dark. But as the torrent continued throughout the evening and early morning hours, I can only assume that she kept up the valiant effort all night long.

By Saturday morning, the worst had passed. I got up at first grey light to see if mother, twins, and nest were still in place.

 
They were.

I did a happy dance of relief.

Later in the week the two healthy fledglings would leave the nest and make their way in the world, which was pretty much just our back yard for the first week or two.

Our fertile myrtle of a bird hatched a second brood of twins by the first of March and we watched as the fruits of her labor flew the coup right around the first day of spring. They too hung around the yard for another ten days or so.Not to be outdone with previous efforts, mother hummer immediately began to repair her home in our old acacia tree, gathering lichen from rooftops to patch the exterior, and attach more spider webbing from nest to slender tree limbs. Soft, white, downy plant material was gathered and flown in to line the bed.

It was a longer wait before the third brood hatched, but hatch they did come May. It was another perfect set of twins, born a day apart from one another, as is usually the case.

By early June the kids made their leap of faith, leaving the nest but hanging about the yard until just a few days ago.

 
I have been holding off on the telling of this final chapter regarding our intrepid, fertile, industrious, little Allen's hummingbird and her three broods, thinking that there was just the slightest, teeniest, tiniest, outside chance that there would be more to tell. But, it looks like the current tale has come to a close as the nest has remained empty for the last two weeks and mom has not made the slightest attempt at a third set of home repairs.

But, as it’s not even officially the first day of summer yet … who knows?

Meanwhile, I have a few thousand photos at my disposal should I wax nostalgic.