Sneak Peek at a Baby Beak!

Yippeee! I got my first peek at the babies today. I knew something was going to change this morning, the parents were behaving differently - Dad would come to the nest empty handed beaked and just chatter, as if to say, "Get off your lazy arse and get a job!" Mom worked double time all day, bringing fat worms and bugs, but she was feeding mostly from outside, so I figured they must be near the surface. Rather than shoot as she got to the nest, I started shooting as soon as she arrived in the vicinity - voila! At least one baby came to the door for food. They've been chattering a lot more today too, and I can see the nest wiggling when they're in it alone now.

I don't know how many hours I've spent camped out on the porch the last few days - a lot, and probably shot several hundred photos. And you know, it's been worth it. I've learned a lot about these little critters the last couple of months, and they're fascinating. And being witness to this sort of miracle is quite amazing. Like Ann said about "her" hummingbird nest last night, I feel blessed. (If you haven't seen her stunning video, go now, it's linked at the above link.)

You'll probably want to look at this one LARGE. And see a lot more of today's photos in a Photobucket slideshow.