Hatchlings: Birds and Books

Faith without works is like a bird without wings; though she may hop with her companions on earth, yet she will never fly with them to heaven.
Francis Beaumont

We’re weather wimps used to being outdoors and on the go, but it’s a rainy, indoors kind of day. Still, I braved the elements to snap these new pictures!

 

Mama Hummingbird’s scrunched down in her nest, shielding her four-day-old babies from a downpour. More often now, she ventures out to find food or to chase away potential predators. She’s a devoted mommy, protecting her tiny chicks while they grow.

The hatchlings are nearly naked, covered only by the downy feathers cropping up along their backs. You can’t help but notice those oversized, orange beaks! The black bulges on their heads will soon become wide-open eyes, but for now, they’re blind and wholly dependent on their mother. 

Like nesting, writing my book requires a great deal of faith, coupled with lots of butt-in-chair time. I’m still learning to trust my intuition, still trying to quiet my inner critic. No doubt about it, this dream of mine is really hard work!

My Ideal Readers (hat tip, Stephen King) helped me hatch a plan for handling some requested revisions. I’m very excited about the possibilities. The cold rain’s pelting my office window, but I’m snuggled into a cozy afghan, ready to write.
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27 Comments

  1. The softness of that nest fascinates me. Birds are so smart!

    Good luck with the new idea too girl. I have a few of my own I’m working on right now and it’s such an exciting scary place to be, you know?

    Nice to not be there alone:-)

    • Birds are very smart. But they don’t know how to come in out of the rain. 🙂

      It’s a very scary, but very exciting place to be! I don’t know how I’d manage without my family and friends — especially my Ideal Readers.

  5. So nice to hear the mama and babies are still doing well. I like your comparison between mama in the nest and writers’ butts in chair. 🙂

    I’m FINALLY feeling better so am available to talk or critique as you need.

    • My mind is so metaphor-driven. I can’t help myself. Hmmm, wonder how THAT happened?! 🙂

      I am so, so glad you’re feeling better!

      I’ll definitely be in contact. Look again at that last paragraph. xo

  6. Mama Bird was wise to build her nest under the umbrella leaf.
    I know intellectually this nest is the size of a walnut, but in the pictures it looks like a normal size nest. I can’t even fathom how small it must be!

    • She knows what she’s doing.

      You’re right: The pictures don’t show how tiny the nest really is. I wish I could hold a ruler next to it, but I don’t want to fluster Mama Hummingbird.

      • Your instincts are right – she has a big job to do, and pointy objects will definitely scare her 🙂

        Maybe after the nest is empty you can put s’thing next to it so we can see.

        Thanks for the updates on her.
        I love them.

  7. Awwwwwwwwwww… your hatchlings are cute!

    And yes, trust your intuition… you are a very wise woman, Melodye. Your intuition won’t lead you astray.

  12. Thanks for keeping us updated on the hatchlings and Mama Hummingbird!

    Trust your intuition, Melodye, and ship your inner critic off to vacation in Cancun…on a one way ticket!

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