Momma hummingbird feeding her two new little ones
Harbour Club Villas and Marina have a new little guest……..a Bahamas Woodstar hummingbird has built a nest in one of our Bridal Bouquet plants. The nest has been battered by the strong winds and the lower leaf supporting the nest is slowly starting to die.
Perching on her nest to feed the babies that were just hatched a day ago.
The yellow beak of one of the two little hummingbird in the nest lined with soft hairs and fibres.
Bridal bouquet showing how off kilter the nest is.
The yellowing leaf is supporting most of the nest but it’s not going to hold for sure until the birds are ready to fly.
The two little hatchling hummingbirds are at the mother’s tail and she will have to add more to her nest to shore it up so that the babies don’t fall out.
Another hummingbird nest at Harbour Club Villas…..what a work of art!
Looking down into the nest to see the little hummingbirds.
Here are the two little hummingbirds sleeping in their soft nursery.
A photo showing the sloping angle of the nest
Our little grandson peaks into the nest to see the new hatchlings
I was really worried about the little birds falling out of the nest as it seemed to be leaning really far on the one side. The nest was only woven around one leaf that was dying. I asked our gardener to try and tie up the nest so that it would last for about three more weeks.
Sturdy twigs on either side of the nest adding support and safety for the hatchlings.
I came back to find two sturdy branches tied around and supporting the nest…perfect! Mama hummingbird is now sitting upright on the nest and the little ones are safe and secure in the newly shored-up nest.
She seems to be enjoying her newly supported nest.
Collecting nectar for the babies
Minute cottonball puffs have been added to the nest
Here’s a close up of the baby hummers
Mama flies in to feed the little ones
Taking a break, the little hummingbird perches on a branch.
Here are the babies a week later and growing so fast
Two open little beaks just waiting to be fed
Mama bird’s favourite perch on a flowering ixora bush.
Flying in for a landing on her perch to see if all’s clear……….she knows I’m there
More repairs as we have to pull the bridal bouquet branch up under the eaves
More repairs …….. the leaning bridal bouquet branch was catching the full on sunshine and I could see that the baby hummingbirds were suffering the heat onslaught. We had to tie it up using the villa louvers to pull the branch back into the shade up under the eaves.
Feeding her hungry crew.
The mother hummingbird drinks nectar and catches bugs which she regurgitates into a slurry substance the baby hummingbirds can digest. This mixture is fed to the baby hummingbirds approximately every twenty minutes. She insert her beak all the way down into the mouths of the baby hummingbirds.
Peaking out of the nest with beak wide open.
When a mother hummingbird comes to feed the baby hummingbirds, the baby hummingbirds feel the wind and vibrations from the wings of their mother and lift their little heads up and open their mouths.
Close up of the nestlings as they wait for mama.
With two repairs to her nest, we are hoping all will hold together until the baby hummingbirds are ready to fly.
The mama hummingbird and one of her favourite perches in a bougainvillea that’s near the nest.
At six days old they have the startings of feathers and hungry all the time.
The little hummingbirds are grow fast and feeding is approximately every 20 minutes or so.
Hummingbirds lap up the nectar with their long slender tongues.
Two weeks old and they have fluffy feathers.
Yes, they projectile poop lifting their bums out of the nest so as not to dirty it.
See how long her tongue is?
There’s a greenish tinge to their feathers and they are looking more like hummingbirds.
One of the little guys perches at the edge of the nest.
Enjoying a little scratch as she perches on the bougainvillea branch.
Three weeks old and almost ready to fly.
The babies grip the nest with their claws so that they don’t fall out.
Now you can see the iridescent green on their feathers
Marta
http://www.harbourclubvillas.com