A small hummingbird has nested with one of our protegees and laid its eggs in the green leafy canopy of a cocoa tree. Just as tiny as the bird itself is its nesting place: The nest has a diameter of about five centimeters. The eggs are just as small as a little fingernail.
Since we planted a lot of blooming plants on our property, in addition to butterflies, countless hummingbirds flutter around here in the morning and evening hours. These are truly special little beings. Their wings beat 40 to 50 times per second. This not only makes hummingbirds look like little propellers, but they also sound like them. Before you spot the little creatures, you usually hear them buzzing by first. Hummingbirds are quite fast and can even fly sideways or backwards. Perfect for buzzing from flower to flower and drinking sweet nectar. In doing so, they also fulfill the important task of pollination. For this, our feathered friends have another useful tool: their long beak, which is of different lengths and shapes depending on the species. This way, each species occupies a different ecological niche.
Even though the delicate cocoa blossoms can only be pollinated by tiny flies and mosquitoes, these entertaining fellows bring us a lot of joy in our garden and in the cocoa forest.