Highlights Of Hummingbird Nest-Building : Hummingbird nests

» MsPersephone - Hummingbird nests

I've enjoyed your hummingbird articles, especially this one. It's nice to know a little more about the life of "our" hummingbird. We have a black-chinned female who built a nest in our ficus tree. She makes it of spiderwebs, cottonwood tree "fluff," and bits of soft bark. It is well-built and soft. This is her third year with us, and each year she makes that nest a little sturdier. Perhaps the first year she came was also her first year as a mom. She has reared all her babies successfully.

One year, we also had an Anna's hummingbird nest in one of our bougainvillas. I watched her babies leave the nest. As they stretched their little wings and began to fly a little awkwardly, she stayed with them, giving encouragement. It was such an exciting thing to watch.

We now have a male Anna's that sits in that bougainvilla and closely guards "his" feeder. He's quite bold, more so than the black-chinned male who also has his own feeder. I've noticed the males allow females to come to the feeders when they're courting. But, after that, they go back to their churlish ways.

Ack! I've rambled on and on about hummingbirds. They really are one of my favorite subjects to talk about.

Thank you for this lovely and informative article, Naomi, and for the links. They're greatly appreciated.

-- posted by MsPersephone