Helen, Henry and Hermoine

This is Helen.  She is a hummingbird that made her nest in a tree in our backyard.  The tree happened to be right up next to our kitchen window.  We were amazed as we saw her make her nest and then sit on her eggs from a foot away with just a glass window between us.  Every day we would anxiously watch as she sat on 2 little eggs the size of jelly beans.  One night it was really cold and rainy so I got a styrofoam plate and covered her nest to help keep her dry.  She seemed to be shivering so I took our space heater out in the rain and held it up over my head pointing toward her.  Matt came home and gave me grief.  He said, "things happen for a reason and if she doesn't make it through a rain storm then she wasn't smart enough to build her nest in the right place".  I replied, "Yes, things do happen for a reason, and that's why she chose to make her nest right next to our window so I could see that she needed a little help:)"

We had fun researching and learning about hummingbirds, what they eat and how long it takes for their eggs to hatch.  My parents were visiting and they bought a hummingbird feeder to hang near by to help Helen out.  My dad was so taken by it, he sat and watched the nest for hours.  Well, maybe not hours... but long periods of time.  Finally, out popped two little heads as we watched Helen leave the nest and come back to feed them.  Audrey named Helen's new babies Henry and Hermoine.

Then something terrible happened.  The birds were growing and developing great.  Henry was bigger than Hermoine and I noticed him starting to practice flapping his wings. Hermoine just sat in the nest.  One day we found the nest was empty, there were a few feathers scattered around and we found Hermoine dead on the ground right underneath the tree.  Audrey was heartbroken and decided she wanted to hold a ceremony and bury Hermoine.

She made snacks and everything and invited our next door neighbors over who had also enjoyed watching our hummingbird family.

It was a sweet little ceremony.  Hermoine didn't make it but we were glad that Henry did.  Whenever we see a hummingbird we wonder if it is Helen or Henry.