Mama Feeding Baby Hummingbirds - Double Trouble © 2012 Bo Mackison
Spent the morning at the Desert Museum just west of Tucson. I wandered into the Hummingbird Aviary to see if there were any babies. And yes, I did find a pair of Costa’s hummingbird babies that looked as if they were nearly big enough to fledge.
I’m not much of a bird watcher nor a bird photographer, but I couldn’t resist the show these two hummingbird babies put on. The one baby is larger, and kept leaning onto its sibling’s shoulders — do birds have shoulders? — trying to push up front and get Mama’s attention, and more food.
"Mama, I'm Starving!" © 2012 Bo Mackison
Even when the mother was feeding the less aggressive baby, the other one was always at the ready, beak open wide, as if to say petulantly, “Mama, I am starving! Feed ME!” A couple of times the larger baby pecked at the mama, and she pushed it aside. What a circus! She must be ready for them to fly away soon.
Babies Waiting Mama's Return © 2012 Bo Mackison
Once the mama left the nest, darting up and down throughout the aviary collecting invisible insects, the babies snuggled together, and looked almost content. Content and alert, watching for their lunch-mobile mama to come back.
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Bo Mackison is a photographer and owner of Seeded Earth Studio LLC, living and photographing in southern Arizona.
About Bo Mackison
Oh poor thing. She has a hectic schedule 🙂
What a thrill it must have been to observe — and photograph — hummingbirds feeding.
These photos are precious, Bo!
I’ll bet those two keep her buzzing (oopps she’s not a bee) – humming. Very neat photos. Interesting to see.
OMG – these are exquisite! Lucky you to have come across these and have the opportunity to photograph. WOW!
These are wonderful! How lucky to be able to capture such a marvelous scene. 🙂
WOW!!!!! I mean, WOW!!!! Great shots, naturally, but those babies are just too adorable! The poor mama – I feel her pain. I remember once photographing some red headed woodpecker babies – there were two as well with one clearly larger and more aggressive than the other. That mama was likely thinking the same thing…”isn’t it time for you guys to GO?” LOL!