Nothing accomplished on the car, but rewarding nevertheless.
As you know, a mother hummingbird had set up nest near our back window so we’ve been keeping an eye on her and her kids, watching nature at work. The babies have gotten huge (relatively speaking) and barely fit in their nest. Yesterday one was perched on the edge of the nest preening and flapping his/her wings, so we realized the time was near for them to leave. This morning, sure enough, one was already out of the nest, perching in a nearby tree. Went out to take a few pictures and not five minutes later, the second one flew out into the same tree. Mom kept visiting them for feedings, the babies calling to her with a very high squeak – and then they were gone.
Went and visited my mom and got back mid-afternoon, wondering if the baby birds might still be around. Went into the backyard and just sat quietly and waited, and, like right out of a movie, the two of them came flying extremely fast out of the far trees, slowed, and landed side-by-side on a branch near me. It was almost as if they were saying “don’t worry, we’ll be okay”, and by the time I thought it would make a cool picture, they took off and vanished. It’s amazing how a young bird can just “know” how to fly, and I’d have thought that mastering hovering, never mind moving in six-degrees of freedom, would take a while to figure out, but nope, they already looked like pros. I wish them a happy life. Happy Mother’s Day.