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A Joyful Noise

faith

The magic you can’t quite see

January 16, 2020 by Melodye Shore

No matter how vast and dark the world might seem, there’s always a tiny glimmer of hope. Sometimes you just have to look a little harder, that’s all. And believe in the magic you can’t quite see.  

Hummingbirds lay two eggs, on average, and incubate them for about 15-18 days. Mama’s been sitting on her nest for about 20 days now. So if I’ve done the math correctly, she’s probably keeping two hatchlings warm, or will be very soon.

Two, featherless symbols of hope. You can’t see them, cradled as they are in the condo nest that’s situated in a high, dark corner of our tile roof overhang. But you trust and believe, anyway, because when the sun peeks that shadowy space, her iridescent feathers catch fire, igniting your imagination and setting your heart aglow.

Posted in: Hope, Hope the thing with feathers, hummingbird, hummingbird nest, hummingbird nest 2020, magic, writing Tagged: faith, hatchlings, hummingbird, hummingbird nest 2020, magic, nest

Hope’s Hatchlings: Part Two

March 14, 2014 by Melodye Shore
Faith is the bird that feels the light when the dawn is still dark.
Rabindranath Tagore

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(Missed the previous days' entries? Here's the link. )

Day 9. "It's Nature's way," I am told. And it's statistically true that only 50% of hummingbird hatchlings grow iridescent wings and fledge. But numbers count for nothing, when you're trying to reconcile wishes with reality…reality being that one of the baby hummingbirds fell from the nest this morning. I don't know the how or why, but it was already dead when I found it.

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Day 11. At this point, the hatchling is covered with pinfeathers, so Hope broods less often, even at night. To avoid attracting the attention of predators, she steers clear of the nest, save for the few seconds it takes to feed her hatchling. Feeding intervals vary, from less than ten minutes to more than an hour and a half.

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Day 12. Look in the upper left corner: you can see one of the hatchling's tiny wings!

The nest is slanted, thanks to the heavy winds and rains, but it's not going anyway. That's because hummingbirds lash their nests to nearby branches with spider silk, which is at once flexible and super-strong. Hope brooded last night, and again today. I think she's trying to keep her hatchling warm while the nest dries.

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Day 14. Hope allowed me a couple of pictures before she buzzed past my head, clicking and helicoptering her tiny wings.

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As you can see from this second picture, the hatchling's pinfeather casings are breaking open now, and the beak is much darker. Before long, we'll see its iridescent feathers. Hope's baby must surely have a neck ache by now, what with staying in that position for lo, these many days. But I'm pretty sure it has something to do with balancing itself on a downward-tilted nest.

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Day 15. Hope's hatchling has all its pinfeathers now, and is beginning to sprout real feathers. It lies motionless for much of the time, so as not to attract predators, but it raises its beak whenever it senses Hope is near.

Within the confines of its nest, the hatchling strengthens its flying muscles. It does this by gripping the floor with its feet and flapping its wings. Random fact: from the time they first hatch, baby hummingbirds do everything they can to drop their waste over the side of the nest (FYI, in case you hadn't already noticed).

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Day 16. Look! The hummingbird hatchling's got tiny tail feathers! This picture also shows the downward slant of the nest–quite the balancing act, no? Time to fledge: 7 days and counting…

Missed the first set of pictures? Go back to Hope's Hatchlings, Part One

Want to see more? Hope's Hatchling's, Part Three (and a naming contest)

Posted in: Uncategorized Tagged: faith, hope, hummingbird eggs 2014, hummingbird hatchlings 2014, hummingbirds, rabindranath tagore

Thankful Thursday: (Love)birds of a different feather

October 13, 2011 by Melodye Shore

My husband, sweet man that he is, sees life through a somewhat cynical lens. He's optimistic, but data-driven, if that makes any sense. MBA that he is, he can whip up a spreadsheet right quick, filled with empirical evidence that supports his Eeyore-ish stance. Want to approach him with a different point of view? Data please, and STAT. 

My world view is wildly somewhat different. Pollyanna that I am, I tend to see the world through rose-tinted glasses. By that I mean that I believe that people are good, and that they can (and will) do great things, given the right opportunity and circumstances. It's a belief system that isn't borne out by past experiences so much as an inborne personality trait. That, and the deep underpinnings of faith that hold me aloft, even when experience might suggest otherwise. 

Two birds of very different feathers, perched on the same branch. How is that possible, you ask?

I can't say for sure, but I'm thinking it's probably Hope that balances things out, that provides the harmony among faith and reason. And humor, there's that. Plus lots of love and laughter…blessings for which I'm so very grateful.

P.S. The quill pens (from Rome) are only tangentially related, but I loved them so much that I decided to drop them into this entry.

Posted in: Uncategorized Tagged: europe 2011, faith, hope, love, reason

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