A Fairy - tale!

The Black-eared Fairy (Heliothryx auritus) in her nest.

"Sometimes following small things can lead to great discoveries."

That is what happened to me, back on the 26th of September 2012, when I was enjoying the presence of a "butterfly". I can remember that day like it was yesterday. I went out to photograph when I noticed that a "butterfly" appeared right in front of me, but before I could take a picture of it, it was suddenly gone. Kind of strange, but I paid no further attention to it ..... until I saw the "butterfly" again. It flew 3 meters up, right in front of a branch and then ..... it 'changed' into a hummingbird. 
What a wonderful surprise!!

Here you can see how the Black-eared Fairy flies when it is near its nest. Very slow wingbeats, exactly the opposite of that from a hummingbird.

It was the Black-eared Fairy (Heliothryx auritus) all the time. She was flying like a butterfly as a cover up/camouflage to lure me away from her nest. Usually they hover in front of (blossoming) flowers.

This is how I normally see them flying when feeding on nectar.... hovering near flowers.

The Black-eared Fairy is not the smallest and neither is the largest hummingbird I've seen. But with their immaculate white on their chest and outer tail, they make an impressive appearance.

The nest was made on one 'fragile' branch and it was clear that it was a small nest, especially when she was busy incubating.

Here you can see that there is just enough space for her.

On October the 28th, 2012, I noticed a small 'needle' pointing just outside the nest, which later appeared to be the beak of the immature. The mother was often absent, probably looking for food. 

On November the 11th, 2012, I was finally rewarded for my patience as I witnessed how the mother was feeding her chick. Not a pretty sight as she just 'pushed' the food right into its throat. After feeding time she tried to sit in the nest, but with her chick still inside, it looked like a 'crowded house'.

Here you can see how she was feeding her chick ...

..... and how she barely fits inside the nest.

Two days later I found an empty nest. Gone were the Fairy's. But never forgotten.