3/3/13
“Twitter” and “Tweet,” our baby hummers made their appearance in early March — at least that’s when we discovered them. Mama Tweet busily tended to their care in the grapefruit tree “nursery” for several more weeks.
Incubation period for hummers, depending on type, is approximately 15 – 19 days.
Nesting period is approximately 20 – 26 days.
3/3/13
Many cold spells and high winds were still with us as March came in and we learned, once again, Mama’s wisdom of making and securing her nests with spider silk. Mama Tweet kept her hatchlings warm sitting on them!
3/11/13: Twitter and Tweet enjoy warming in the sunshine.
3/19/13: Fully feathered but yet to leave the grapefruit tree.
3/20/13: Twitter and Tweet are now out of the nest. They’ve taken to a favorite branch in the kumquat tree, waiting together for Mama to bring them dinner.
3/20/13: And Mama delivers!
Tweet has a special fondness for the ocotillo bush. He often comes to sit there for a visit when I come out of the house. We “talk” for a long time. How he stays on those spiny thorns I’ll never know, but he’s comfortable enough he — or “she” — is now taking many daytime feedings there.
Such wonderful life events as births and hatchings should always be celebrated. Being a foodie with a bit of a long memory, I turned to — what else? — the classic “Hummingbird Cake.” It’s full of bananas, pineapple and nuts (pecans or walnuts, your choice).
It seemed natural to turn the recipe into mini cupcakes in honor of our tiny friends. Here is a link to the original recipe as it appeared in Southern Living Magazine in 1978. (I confess, since I love cinnamon, I increased the amount just a tad, and used one-and-a-half teaspoons.)
The cupcakes are delicious and have Mr. KK’s stamp of approval. I may have to padlock the fridge! The minis are just the right size for a snack and they freeze well too. Enjoy!
