Photos and article by Annemarie Eveland 

Their sound was distinctive, delightful and daring, even dazzling. Whirling and humming, the tiny visitors darted in for the sweet nectar I had made for their food. I am mesmerized and amazed at hummingbirds visiting my feeders. 

The biological family name of the hummingbirds is Trochilidae with 366 species, 113 genera. Mostly found in the Americas and now listed as endangered. 

But this story -my personal story of the hummingbird vigil began last year when a female bird began to collect “stuff” from our surrounding area and then built a nest. Such a tiny bird for such an incredible task, I thought. But she was undaunted and deliberate.

So, I thought I’d help. I brought a good-sized hummingbird feeder out and hung it about two feet away from her nest building which happened to be my front door area, and her nest was built on string/wire of the tiny white Christmas lights that I now would never take down.

Some friends chuckled at my fervor and fascination, but some encouraged me. I didn’t need much, though, as this was my first adventure in hummingbird nest building.  

I noticed that she flew away instantly when she saw movement of my security screen door or heard it opening. 

So, I left it partly ajar and eventually she got ok with my coming and going under her creation. 

By then the nest was complete and I saw her long beak nodding in and out of the nest- a sign to me she was feeding her babies? And the sugar water level was going down. 

I was fascinated when the tiny babies poised their beaks upward with the tiniest tweaky sounds, waiting for mom to feed them. And I was rather astounded when they grew to such a size that both the hatchlings’ wings draped over their tiny nest. “Hey it’s getting crowded in here!”

My desire was to see mom feed them. I climbed up on a step stool with my camera to gently click a photo of the crowded hanging little hometel. Going to be a good shot, I thought. That moment the wind gusted, and their nest gently touched my camera. I was shocked to see those “now teenagers” bolt out of their nest and speed away as if they were filled with jet fuel. I blinked. I was astonished! What about mom getting them out of their comfort zone? Had they been nudged too early by me? I worried about them and found myself climbing the hillside of the direction they flew – just in case I had to rescue them on the ground. But they were not to be seen anywhere. Maybe they were ready to fly? I guess I am going to have to find a Hummingbird expert and find out. It would have been perfect to attend the wondrous White Mountain Hummingbird Festival with their experts held at the end of the month of July this year. 

I am fascinated by these tiny birds that “aren’t supposed to fly,” according to aeronautics, but they buzz around beautiful, and they definitely seem to know what they are doing. So, I was inspired to draw one sitting still on a flower-for a moment. And ah, yes, I am still going to leave my Christmas lights strung up with the hummingbird nest--- for next years’ crop!