July 8th. Loppers ready to cut down a tree limb.

I had the loppers ready to slice through a large branch when my subconscious heard the silent screams “Don’t cut it! Please don’t cut it!”  I looked over to see a bird’s nest near the end of the branch I was about to cut down. I moved the ladder near the nest, climbed up and looked in the nest to see two tiny, black hummingbird chicks with scraggly, hair-like feathers on their backs. Breathing a sigh of relief that I had heard their silent pleas, and saw their nest before I cut down the tree limb, I started checking their progress daily. I spent the next 19 days documenting their rapid growth and maturing from little black, scraggly blobs to full grown hummingbirds.

July 8th. Bird's nest on the branch I was about to cut down.

July 8th. Two tiny hummingbird chicks in the nest.

July 8th. Mama hummingbird sitting on the chicks after dark.

July 10th. Hungry little hummers.

July 12th. Chick grooming his wings.

July 13th. Napping.

July 16th. Developing feathers.

July 19th. Eyes open.

July 23rd. Fully feathered barely fitting.

July 25th. Ready to fly.

July 26th. One left.

July 27th. Empty Nest.