Seasons

Pepito       

Pepito sleeps in the shade nearly all day,
oblivious to the gentle Spring breezes that caress his face.

His peaceful siesta extends to nightfall.
Even then, he barely stirs.

Whenever I look in on him he is
lying flat on his back,
eyes shut tight,
round belly looking very full,
with his tiny pointed beak extending straight up in the air,
always on the ready in case Mama flits by with a quick meal.

I call him Pepito because he “peeps” when the mama hummingbird approaches.

She is the consummate single mom, raising him alone, as hummingbird mothers do,
working from dawn to dusk to feed him, as well as to nourish herself.

She is a teensy warrior princess, ready to defend Pepito from me,
buzzing by my head when I intrude with my camera.

Yet, unlike other bird species, she spends little time near the nest, hence Pepito’s deep slumber.
She visits for only a few seconds every hour to share nectar,
then flits away in search of more food.

A few days pass.
Pepito quickly outgrows the little nest that his mama wove so intricately into the tree branch.
The engineering of this tiny home is awesome.
His mother built this alone, using her beak as her only tool.

Today, for the first time, I see Pepito sitting upright on the edge of the nest!
He looks about and surveys the big new world from his vantage point in the little tree.
He is nearly as big as his mama now.
I know he will fledge any day.
These are his last days of protection in his safe haven of Spring leaves and sturdy branches.
Soon he will be exposed to the challenges and perils of the world.

Be safe, sweet Pepito!
Fly, and bring joy to other people’s gardens!


An excerpt from Where the Red Tailed Hawk Flies
Spring 2005
Copyright 2005 by Gabriella Graham