This morning I'm dreaming of summer: hands in the earth, bare feet on cool grass, and hummingbird wings.
In a tiny nest of moss and seeds and spider webs - a nest no bigger than a walnut shell - the hummingbird lays her eggs. I find this fascinating:
http://www.worldofhummingbirds.com/nest.php
Image from the National Geographic
I'll never forget that day in 1978 when I discovered a Lucifer Hummingbird nest (with eggs) attached to a Lechuguilla stalk near the end of the Window Trail in Big Bend National Park.
ReplyDeleteHow wonderful! Big Bend is quite the place, isn't it? Drove it end to end with the Moody Blues for company, then camped down by the river... javelinas by night and a beautiful diverse ecosystem.
DeleteGreat things come in small packages, don't they. I'm amazed at how territorial ruby throated hummingbirds can be. They'll take on any invader no matter what the size. Contrast that with the gentle image of an adult hummingbird with nest full of young. Wonderful!
ReplyDeleteOh yes... They are quite a mixture of gentleness and fierce strength. Thanks, Bill!
DeleteLove these tiny birds. There is a site for Ruby Throated migration that gives a heads up when they are getting close.I put a lot of feeders and plant their favorite flowers to attract them into my yard.
ReplyDeleteSteve, You do so much for all these little beings, what a gift.
DeleteI got a hummingbird feeder as a gift last year but never got it set up after I broke my leg. Really looking forward to trying it out this summer. Ah, thoughts of summer. Now you have me doing it, and it's wonderful!
ReplyDeleteYou'll love seeing these tiny birds. If you sit about eight feet away they'll still use the feeder. When they get used to you they may even come closer!
DeleteNancy, It's a day for dreaming of summer and these little beings are the perfect metaphor for all it represents. I imagine you're getting this wind, too?
DeleteIt always amazes me how close they are willing to come - fearless little things.
DeleteFascinating and wonderful... truly nature's lesson to us... that life is a cycle and it continues on.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful photo...
These tiny miracles of life will be seen with fresh eyes this summer.
DeleteLove hummingbirds -- they are miraculous! -- barbara
ReplyDeleteI am more fascinated the more I read and understand... amazing.
DeleteThe hummingbird is one of my favorite birds. I love it when they come close to me as I sit by the feeder.
ReplyDeleteThey look me over to make sure I'm not a threat.
Sometimes they come within arm's reach without fear; very brave for such a small bird.
I imagine they feel they are so fast that I could never catch them.
I love the photograph. I'd like to share it on my blog with a link back to your blog, if it's okay with you.
From what I understand, the males guard their territory quite ferociously. Very brave, indeed. Please do use the photo, it is not mine, as my note below indicates, but from the Geo. Feel free to link anytime. :)
DeleteI can't wait for our friends to return. In summer I sit on the front porch and watch them hover around the nectar feeder right belove me....:)
ReplyDeleteWhat a perfect way to spend time on a summer day. I love being out at dusk and watching them make a final pass through the flower beds...
DeleteA walnut shell?! What a beautiful thought. When we have houseguests from home I court the attendance of hummingbirds shamelessly with pungent displays of red flowers. They are such a wonderfully un-English photo opportunity, people are entranced!
ReplyDeleteI hung the standard Home Dept-esque feeders on the front porch of our Blue Ridge Mountain home when we first acquired it. To my amazement they were completely emptied night after night and the yellow plastic flowers that cover the drinking holes were to be found lying on the ground underneath them each morning. How could those delicate little hummingbirds be so violently greedy, I wondered. Googling it, I was appalled to find it would be bats, eagerly draining them dry. I really do not like bats at all and the image of them partying together out there and sucking the feeders dry absolutely horrified me!
It was image that drew me in and created a need to know more. My eyes were opened to these little beings, and reading about how they mate and create was amazing.
DeleteDarn bats. :(
Fascinating, isn't it? I have yet to see a hummingbird nest. I have seen hummingbirds fly up the trunk of a sycamore tree (the one I mentioned in your previous post that is in danger) and that is thrilling to see. She shot straight up. I've looked and looked, binoculars in hand, and have yet to find a nest, Teresa. I'll know to look for a Y now.
ReplyDeleteI found all this info so interesting. They mention they often look like a knot on the tree, so I will be keeping my eyes open more, too. I also found it interesting how touching the nest won't necessarily deter them, but will lead predators to their nests... so much to learn about nature and how to handle it with love.
DeleteOne of my favorite days in summer is when I can put out the hummingbird feeders. We usually have one nest in an old lilac tree out beside the garage.
ReplyDeleteAnd lilacs, too... now I'm really getting hungry for spring! :)
DeleteOh, my goodness! I read all through the comments thinking - surely someone has seen this. But no!
ReplyDeleteSo here you are. The link to a live, streaming webcam of a hummingbird's nest. Her name is Phoebe, and she's already produced one brood this year. I think there are two eggs in the nest. I've seen two, but she may have laid a third. I just don't know.
What I do know is that this is one of the most amazing things I've seen on the intertunnels. ;) Enjoy!
Phoebe's Webcam
Thanks, Linda!I will check it out.
DeleteDear Teresa, yes, fascinating and endlessly wonderful. Peace.
ReplyDeleteI am entranced by these little beings.
DeleteThis Afternoon The Birds Have Started Singing Here.....The Loudest I've Heard Them So Far This Year.Things Are Stirring !
ReplyDeleteOh, that's encouraging! Far away, but encouraging... :)
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