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A Joyful Noise

samara faith

Samara Faith takes wing

March 19, 2014 by Melodye Shore

Hope's tiny nest is lashed to a Pidocarpus tree in my backyard, way above eye-level. My little neighbor-friend Sara has a better view, because her house was built on higher ground. So with her mommy's permission, I climbed a step stool and angled my camera over our shared fence.

I stayed for a good long while on the 22nd day, in part because I knew we'd entered the final countdown. But it's also true that I wanted to take full advantage of the opportunity (the privilege!) of absorbing the hatchling's miraculous transformation from egg to full grown hummingbird. It wasn't long for the nest, and I knew it.

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By this point, it's quite possible that Hope is preparing another nest, in anticipation of a second brood. Even so, she brought food to her nearly grown hatchling, several times a day. Between meals, her baby used its long, thin tongue to grab a quick bite for itself.

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It was a warm, sunny day, and the nest was soft. No surprise, the baby bird got sleepy.

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Oh hey, are you still here?

In this light, you can see for yourself that the hummingbird hatchling is nearly grown. It's got iridescent green feathers, just like Hope, and is about 1-1/2 inches long. Much tinier than it appears in these pictures! Oh, and have you heard? Its name is Samara Faith!

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Sunshine warmed the nest, but bathed as it was, in a pool of light, the hatchling was vulnerable to predators. Thank goodness, Hope instinctively knew where and how to camouflage her brood.  For most of the day, the nest was cloaked in shade. That, plus variegated foliage, did the trick.

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Heavy winds and rains have battered the nest. It's ragged now, and tilted downward. Even so, it's proven itself a reliable shelter for the just-right amount of time.

While I was watching, short wind gusts made the branches sway and bounce. When that happened, the hatchling tucked itself deep into the tufted nest and wind-surfed.

Oh hey…do you see what those tiny wings are doing?

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The baby hummingbird seemed just as surprised by that wing display as I was.

Truth is, for several days now, the hatchling has been clutching the bottom of the nest with its feet and test-piloting those tiny wings. I think all those strength exercises are paying off!

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A few hours after posting this picture to Facebook, I visited the nest again, in hopes of taking one last measurement before our naming contest. Maybe the hatchling was nudged forward by a breeze, or maybe it caught wind of this paparazzo. But in any case, its wings whirred, and off it went, helicoptering over my head as confident as could be!

I don't know who was more surprised–Samara Faith or me. But I stood quiet for the longest time, blinking back the wetness that threatened to spill down my cheeks. I was sad, of course, but also very happy.

Samara Faith beat the odds. Hope, realized. Faith, made manifest. How fortunate I was, to bear witness to such a miracle!

Hope will stick close by for at least a few days, teaching Samara Faith how and where to forage for food. I'm keeping fresh nectar at the ready…

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I visited the nest once more that afternoon, to take the measure of it.

Soft yet strong, this nest supported Hope. It withstood heavy winds, rain and hail, and provided safe harbor for her tiny brood until one of the hatchlings eventually fledged. Tiny as it may be, and humble, the importance of a nest can't be overstated. Isn't that a rule, written down somewhere? If not, it should be.

Missed the previous posts about Hope and her hatchlings? Here you go: Hope's Hatchlings, Part One; Hope's Hatchlings: Part Two: Hope's Hatchlings: Part Three (and a naming contest); and Hope's hatchling gets a name.

Posted in: Uncategorized Tagged: hope, hummingbird hatchlings 2014, nests, samara faith

Hope’s hatchling gets a name

March 18, 2014 by Melodye Shore

At around 23 days after hatching, a baby hummingbird fledges, never again to return to its nest. Given how attached I'd grown to this tiny miracle, I decided we should grace Hope's hatchling with a suitable name–a talisman of goodwill that would carry it through the skies. And so it was that I announced a naming contest last Friday, on this blog.

Each of the submitted names was beautiful in its own way…all of them, befitting such a beautiful creature. Danny Boy, Samara, Faith, Emerald, Flitterbaby, Flit, Jewel, Whimsy…

My neighbor-friend Sara helped me choose the winning entry.

She decorated a basket, filled with colorful plumage. Each paper feather represented one of the contest entries.

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Sara decided we should choose the hatchling's name at the base of the tree where Hope had built her nest. And so, we did.

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She closed her eyes and drew a name from the basket.

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Samara it is! And after reading Barb Etlin's explanation, I think that name is perfect!

Samara, a Hebrew and Latin female name. The Latin name means "helicopter seed of an elm or maple tree," which reminds me of the helicopter-like wing beating of a hummingbird. The Hebrew meaning is "guardian, protected by God, or night talk." ~Barb Etlin

As contest winner, Barb will receive a copy of Hummingbirds: Facts and Folklore from the Americas. Many thanks to author Jeanette Larson, who donated a copy of this beautiful book as a prize.

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But wait, we're not finished here, yet!

As you no doubt know, little girls reserve the right to mull things over, alter course or change their mind. All of the above, whenever.

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Two people submitted Faith as a possibility: Margaret Buffie and Charline Profiri. Turns out, Sara loved it, too. So much so, that she decided it should be Samara's middle name!
And so it is.

Meet Samara Faith. Isn't she (or he) a beauty?

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Day 22. On my next blog (posted later today)–Samara Faith fledges!

Missed the previous posts about Hope and her hatchlings? Here you go: Hope's Hatchlings, Part One, Hope's Hatchlings: Part Two, and Hope's Hatchlings: Part Three (and a naming contest).

Posted in: Uncategorized Tagged: hope, hummingbird hatchlings 2014, naming contest, samara faith

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