Reddish hermit - nest observation #3

It was a very busy period. While I was observing the Reddish hermit and her little family, I also noticed that other hummingbirds were busy nesting:
- Rufous-breasted hermit
- Black - throated mango
- Fork-tailed woodnymph
Of course I also wanted to witness their incubation period, so this meant that I had to cover a lot of areas. I checked their nests after work, so I did not have to rush.


In this post: the last week of observing the Reddish hermit nesting.


- September 6, 2014: the feathers are now darker then before. Still both of the hatchlings' eyes are still closed. I did notice that the first born's beak is now a bit longer (starting to look like a little hummer) 

- September 8, 2014: the female is resting on a nearby branch. Now the nest is too small for both chicks. I can finally see that both of them can open their eyes. It was also possible that their eyes were already open, but that they were sleeping when I was there.

- September 10, 2014: here is when I am getting worried about their nest. Will it hold?

- September 13, 2014: it finally happened. When I arrived the mother was sitting on a nearby branch. The first born was sitting at the edge of the nest and ….. it started to fly. Not very far of course. It looked like it was doing some trial flights.

- September 14, 2014: both of them were doing trial flights. This was also the last day that I visited their nest, because the next day they were all gone, leaving behind an empty nest.


It all happened so fast, from the discovery until the flying out part … but I am also very happy to have witnessed this all.