  |
gambolin man
Member
|
      
Two years ago in this forum (see below), I wrote about spotting a hummingbird nesting, and just yesterday I was amazed to see another such sighting of one nesting, this time, astonishingly, at EYE LEVEL, on a protruding tree branch above a small brook in a city park (Codornices Park, Berkeley). The tiniest of tiny hummingbird - Anna's?- barely caught my attention, its perfectly constructed and symmetrical nest, fashioned out of bits of grass, mud and moss, was camouflaged expertly in the branches and boughs of a big-leaved tree, and so was she, so completely at ease in her invisibility that she was unruffled by my nose practically sticking in her face to get a better look. Finally, she darted away at the speed of light, and I was able to see two little oblong eggs in her diminutive brood.
From March, 2007:
Has anyone ever seen a hummingbird nesting in the wild? Until today, I had not in many years of outdoor experiences. (Have seen zillions of hummingbirds, but never one nesting in a tree.)
At Tennessee Valley, off a side trail near a brook, I glanced up and saw her sitting on her nest about 10 ft. up a tree. How common is a sighting such as this, I wonder? Has anyone ever espied a hummingbird nesting in a tree in the wild?
-----
Gambolin' Man
http://gambolinman.blogspot.com
|
Total Posts: 122 | Joined Feb. 2006 | Posted on: 1:36 pm on Mar. 1, 2009 | IP
|
|
gambolin man
Member
|
Amigos,
Here is a picture I took of the little bird, and fell in the creek and nearly cracked my skull in this (not so vain!) attempt to capture her on film!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/gambolinman/3327443326/
-----
Gambolin' Man
http://gambolinman.blogspot.com
|
Total Posts: 122 | Joined Feb. 2006 | Posted on: 6:02 pm on Mar. 3, 2009 | IP
|
|
Chris C
Member
|
Great picture! It must have been really nice to see this site.
|
Total Posts: 22 | Joined June 2008 | Posted on: 9:44 am on Mar. 4, 2009 | IP
|
|
gambolin man
Member
|
Amigos,
Today, I returned and - surprise of surprises - there were two hatchlings in the nest, naked and featherless, tiny little heads like blueberries. . .with Mother Hummer sitting on the lip of the nest overseeing her brood with a steadfast unblinking eye! They should be ready to fly away in about 3 weeks...hopefully will get a better glimpse of them as they age, for they must have just been born in the past day or two and are barely a half inch long!
-----
Gambolin' Man
http://gambolinman.blogspot.com
|
Total Posts: 122 | Joined Feb. 2006 | Posted on: 6:32 pm on Mar. 4, 2009 | IP
|
|
pinsandneedles
Member
|
Wow, awesome picture! I've spotted a couple hummingbird nests, but they've both been in swordferns; never up in a tree. I got a little concerned about finding these and checking in on them though, as I believe the scent trail I left when I visited the last nest I found led to it being raided by a predator :-( (it was just mangled and without its eggs one day). So now if I do see one, I try to avoid approaching it or dwelling there too long. Maybe I'm being paranoid?
|
Total Posts: 4 | Joined Feb. 2009 | Posted on: 9:16 pm on Mar. 8, 2009 | IP
|
|
gambolin man
Member
|
pinsandneedles - you're probably right!
-----
Gambolin' Man
http://gambolinman.blogspot.com
|
Total Posts: 122 | Joined Feb. 2006 | Posted on: 8:10 pm on Mar. 10, 2009 | IP
|
|
gambolin man
Member
|
These babies are nearly full-grown. Checked on them two days ago, and am betting that next time I peer into the nest - maybe tomorrow (Sunday) -- they'll be long gone.
-----
Gambolin' Man
http://gambolinman.blogspot.com
|
Total Posts: 122 | Joined Feb. 2006 | Posted on: 6:46 pm on Mar. 28, 2009 | IP
|
|
pinsandneedles
Member
|
Thats neat that you got another look at them! Keep us posted..
|
Total Posts: 4 | Joined Feb. 2009 | Posted on: 9:21 am on Mar. 29, 2009 | IP
|
|
gambolin man
Member
|
As I wrote the other day, come Sunday, today, I would walk to the pretty little park and head down the trail along the pretty little creek, come to the bridge where the tree is with the nest, and find that the two little hummers have flown the coop - and that's what has happened. The nest is empty.
Does anyone know if hummingbirds abandon their nest or re-use them? Or if those little fledglings return to the safety of the nest until their truly full-grown?
-----
Gambolin' Man
http://gambolinman.blogspot.com
|
Total Posts: 122 | Joined Feb. 2006 | Posted on: 3:51 pm on Mar. 29, 2009 | IP
|
|
| |
|
Bay Area Hiker Discussion Board
Hummingbird Nesting, Part II
