Photo of the Week
Mother to Be, originally uploaded by forresterbonnie.
I’ve never seen a hummingbird nest before, and I found this photograph so interesting to study — particularly the material of that nest. Will you write something about it this week?
One Comment
→
Do you know how big that nest is? About 1.5″ in diameter, max. The same hummingbirds nested in my yard, in the same tree, 4 years in a row.
They always built a new nest, so I was free to keep their old ones. Each was big enough only for the tiny rump of a mama hummingbird, and the eggs inside looked like peanut M&Ms, only smaller.
I first noticed the nest when one of my brothers set up “the barbie” beneath a low-hanging branch. He kept whacking it to get at his meatfest. As it swung about, I noticed a brave little bird, wedged into her nest, attached to it.
Naturally, we got the stupid barbecue out of the way & left her in peace. In the years that followed, we left her and her mate other things, too: soft curls of our hair & other soft things that they used in their nest, plus seeds & apples to eat.
We also provided “showers.” We’d turn the hose onto part of the tree away from the nest, and both birds jumped into the branches and had a good scrub.
My mother kept three of the little nests–still attached to bits of branch– in a place of honor atop her giant old family Bible. It seemed quite logical to put them there. The nests were actually holy…