Bella's Babies

Bella is an Allen's Hummingbird in LaVerne, California, whose nest is being webcammed and live streamed at http://explore.org/live-cams/player/bella-hummingbird-nest for all to see. If I have my facts straight, the new mother of the clutch being streamed right now is Bella's daughter Rosie from last year. I cast the live stream to my television so I can keep an eye on her as her two tiny eggs were due to hatch any day. Late this afternoon, I looked up and saw a tiny crack appear in the lower egg. My tv screen isn't as clear as my computer screen so I ran to my computer to watch. Before much longer I saw a couple of tiny eyes peering out at the world. Just then, the momma came back so I worked on a sketch from a screenshot I had taken. As the afternoon waned, Rosie would occasionally leave the nest, and when she did I watched and sketched the nest. Before I could do much more, it became completely dark. Now I have to wait until morning to see the new arrival. Can't wait! I hope to sketch the babies a much as possible in the days to come. In three short weeks, they will be ready to fledge. By the way, to give you an idea of size, the nest is about half the size of a golf ball! Imagine how tiny these eggs are!