Phoebe and Sassy (you can see Sassy's beak peeking out under Phoebe's wing)
If you've seen the previous posts on Phoebe, the Allen's Hummingbird, rearing her babies in her nest in a rose bush in a garden in Orange County, California, you'll know that I've been posting up-dates about the progress of the little chicks, whom I've been viewing via live cam.
They were born on the 2nd and 4th January respectively, and named Stormy and Sassy. Then on the 25th January, little Stormy died, possibly due to hatching prematurely and being very weak.
The screen shot above is of Sassy yesterday morning, at almost two months old but with very poor feather development, at a time when she should have fledged already. Phoebe was also getting restless, knowing that Sassy is well behind in her development. Speculation is that Phoebe has not been able to provide proper nutrition due to the lack of insects.
Yesterday afternoon, the moderators of the live cam decided to step in and whisked Sassy off to a Hummingbird rehab centre, where she will be properly fed and cared for until she is ready to be released into the wild. Phoebe is none the wiser, thinking that Sassy has actually naturally left the nest, and is already preparing her nest for a new family. Isn't nature wonderful? No time wasted on unnecessary and useless pain and worry.
Phoebe's - now empty - nest.
