And then there were two

Well, apparently I miscalculated. When I came home from work today I took a quick peek and there are now two little black aliens in the hummingbird nest. They have arrived!

We should now have about three weeks of baby watching before they take wing and start coming to the feeder on their own. I can't wait to watch their stubby little beaks grow. I wonder if I'll be able to tell whether they're male or female. I wonder if the mother will raise another brood before the end of the summer. I bet she will, and I hope she likes her current accommodations. I hear they sometimes re-use the same nest.

The webcam continues to be a little problematic. If you come to the webcam and find the picture is too dark, check back in a bit. The camera has an automatic iris that isn't too smart. During the brightest part of the day, it closes up the iris and makes the picture too dark. Some of the best images are early in the morning, 6:00 to 7:30 a.m., then again around 4:00 to 5:30 p.m., Pacific time, when the sunlight is fading.

I'm still looking at ways of getting a better live picture out on the web. I love these little birds and I want to share them as much as possible!