WEDNESDAY:  After coffee and delicious cinnamon rolls (homemade by Clyde) with Clyde and Dave and Dave H. and Royden, I came back home and watched the hummingbird chick.  I took pictures, knowing that I’d take my eyes away from the nest for half-an-hour at a time and each time when I’d go back I expected to find it empty.  The little bird was trying to get ready to fly into the big world.  It practiced flying without going anywhere.  It preened itself and waited.  I grew impatient for the big event, hoping to be able to record the flight with my camera… and I dreaded to see the empty nest...all that will be left of the almost two months of drama with the nest building and laying of eggs and the hatching of eggs and then this flying away into the world. 

It’s after five o’clock as I finish this writing, and the baby bird is still hanging out in the nest; so I’m sure now that tomorrow will be the day it flies away.  This has been a good run, and I confess to liking this little ball of feathers more than I should admit.  The nest is close to the sliding door in the bedroom, so when I show up with my camera, the little bird knows and acknowledges my being there.  When the Mother comes to feed the little bird, she sees me and lets me know she sees me by flying right at me, stopping still in mid-air and makes sure I know she is there.  I can’t get a picture of her flying.  I get pictures of her sitting on the edge of the nest.