Yesterday.

Once Ray spotted the hummingbird nest and bird right outside our front door, I spent at least 5 hours in the early part of the day trying to take good shots of the nest, eggs and bird. I was on a mission, obsessed and having a ball. I learned a lot about my camera settings after looking at hundreds of failed (poor lighting ) photo attempts on the computer. So much for the other things I had planned for that 5 hour slot in the day.

When we first looked at the empty bird's nest yesterday morning around 8am there was only one white tiny egg inside. After one of the next few nest sittings, the newest member of the Jeffers family - Mrs. Hummingbird - had layed another egg in the nest. We read that they usually lay 2 eggs. So we have the exact time and day of the baby's beginnings.

Ray went online and googled hummingbirds. Here is what we found:
Male and female hummingbirds establish separate territories--she to build a nest and feed her young, he just to protect a reliable food source. The male takes no interest in nests or the care and feeding of babies. When females enter his territory, he does aerial displays to keep them away. The males and females mate on neutral ground.

Incubation takes 12 -19 days before the eggs hatch.

Here is a video someone took from birth through the moment the babies actually leave the nest. Enjoy. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gG59PaCiiDg&eurl=http://hummingbirdworld.com/h/nest.htm

Photos of our hummingbird and nest outside our front door on a cactus that broken off a month or so ago. Lucky for Mrs. Hummingbird.


She flies away every time we walk by the window too quickly. If we move slowly, she won't fly away. Ray gets mad at me for bothering Mrs. Hummingbird when I am at my camera and startle her. Then I get mad at him when he goes in and out to the garage past her nest. We are having fun with our new family member.



Then late in the day yesterday, Ray wanted to go out in the golf cart and play some golf. I went along with my camera. He golfed and I shot photos.



I took this shot just after the sun set behind Mt. San Jacinto.