Monthly Archives: March 2024

Hummingbirds Left the Nest

The hummingbirds have left the nest. Actually, it was more like they got so big one fell out of the nest making room for the other one to linger awhile. If you have ever seen a hummingbird nest, you will immediately notice it is very, very small, so I was wondering how long they both would fit. The first one that left stuck around for awhile, fluttering in the plant getting her wings in shape. Momma continued to come to her and feed her as she was perched on a branch.  After a couple of days of flying between two large plants on the patio she took flight. I believe she came to the feeder for a couple of days, but then Momma would chase her off like she did with any other hummingbird that approached the feeder. These birds are very territorial.

The other hummingbird had the nest to itself for a few hours and then it took flight. It made one stop on a ledge and then off it went into the wilds.

Now that the hummingbirds have left the nest, I have to admit I miss the little birds. However, I am happy they both grew up healthy enough so they were able to successfully leave the nest.  I wish them the best and who knows maybe they will visit again next year!

Hummingbird in Plant on Patio 

Momma Hummingbird Feeds Her Chick

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Hummingbirds Part 2

This is part 2 of the hummingbird story. The chicks are growing daily and ready to launch. I have been able to photograph them mostly through a window, which is not the best circumstances. However, if I get too close to them in the out doors, the chicks get very low in the nest and momma circles around. I really do not want to cause any undue stress for the tiny birds. They have a tough life ahead of them and a lifespan of only five years. Interesting, the rate of survival of the baby chick hummingbirds is only around 40%. We will be lucky if they launch safely.

Momma visits the nest many times each hour during the day but she is no longer sleeping on the nest. Mostly, her life consists of visiting the feeder, feeding the babes and returning to a hedge where she has a great vantage point. Here is a shot I took of her visiting the nest. The camera was on a tripod and I used a remote shutter release. Also, I set the shutter speed to as fast as possible, since she is a very speedy. Additionally, the raw file was cropped in photoshop and boy am I happy for the 60 megapixel raw file to work with!

Wild Hummingbird Feeds Her Chicks

Female hummingbird feeding her chicks.

The feeder is attracting a lot of hummingbirds, but Momma bird is very territorial of the feeder and the food, running off any other hummingbird. Hummingbird food consists of sugar water and the recipe is very easy.  Bring 1/4 cup sugar and 1 cup of water a boil to melt the sugar, then let the mixture cool before putting in the feeder. Apparently, as soon as the a hummingbird beak reaches the sugar water it is contaminated, so no need to boil for any length of time.

Check out the video of her chasing off other birds

Thanks for stopping by and checking out what is happening with the hummingbirds in my backyard. This has been so much fun learning about and watching these little guys! I hope you have something in your world that brings you joy.

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Hummingbird Nest and Chicks

Around the end of January,  a momma hummingbird made her nest in a potted plant I had growing on the patio. That began our hummingbird experience.

A hummingbird nest is around 2 in by 2 in, so we lucked out when my partner even spotted it. A selfie stick was used to capture the inside of the nest, where the eggs are about the size of jelly beans.

Hummingbird Nest and Eggs

 

From that point it was a waiting game. We watch,  as the momma hummingbird would sit on her nest and keep the eggs warm. Two to three weeks later the eggs hatch and we had two hatchlings.

As you can imagine, the hummingbird hatchlings were so small in the nest, the chicks were barely visible in any photos. Any decent photo would have required artificial lighting and we did not want to disturb the chicks nature in action.  One thing I did do was purchase a feeder and make food so momma hummingbird would have enough substance to keep her babies alive.

It took another two to three weeks for the chicks to get large enough to get a decent photo. They actually started to get so big, I am amazed they still fit in the nest.

Two hummingbird chicks in nest.

Hummingbird Chicks in Nest.

We have endless hours of interest and enjoyment watching the hummingbirds grow and the      Momma tend to her babes and protect her feeder from other hummingbirds. I look forward to see what happens when they leave the nest. I will keep you posted.

Thanks for stopping by. More of my work can be viewed at susanmcanany.com or at my Etsy or Saatchiart studios.