Hummingbird Chicks

Still at Saxe Point Park where I'd gone to photograph the Bald Eagles, I came across this charming pair sitting perfectly still in their little nest. Their mother had buzzed me earlier but I couldn't see her well enough to identify her and she was much too busy for me to ever get her in focus. However, I'm guessing that these chicks are Anna's Hummingbird (Calypte anna), since they are the only hummingbirds that are likely to be here at this time of year. Hummingbirds are extraordinary little creatures and I recommend the Wikipedia article on them if you want to find out more. Here's a few facts: They must consume their body weight every day. Otherwise they die or go into a kind of hibernation called "torpor." They reject any flowers that have less than 10% sugar in their nectar seeing as lower percentages are not capable of supporting the rapid metabolism of these tiny birds. Their hearts may beat as much as 1260 beats per minute. Part of their mating display consists of dives from about 98 feet (30 meters) to reach speeds over 50 miles per hour (80 kph). They are the only birds that can fly backwards. Those spiderwebs you can see on the nest in the photo have been collected by the mother bird and are used to construct the nest. Because the spider silk is elastic, the nest can stretch as the chicks get larger. There's more, so go read the article.