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This Page is dedicated to our great-granddaughter. Olivia, Princess of Bel Air, and soon-to-be five years old!
Sunday, March 13, 2022
A few days ago we discovered a hummingbird building a nest in the (fake) palm tree just outside our back door. The nest is about five feet off the ground and positioned such that I could set up a motion activated camera and get videos and photos of what's going on.
The thing is tiny! The eggs look like they're about 3/8" wide and 1/2" long. Sorry the tape measure is upside down but I had to hold it with my left hand while I was taking the iPhone photo with my right.
This is the camera mounted on a tripod. It's about a foot from the nest and doesn't seem to bother the bird (should I name her?)
First Video, Feb 28
We later moved the camera closer to the nest
March 1st
The camera is closer but the nest isn't centered but we got a lot of good videos of the nest-building process. No eggs yet...
March 3rd - More nest-building
Check out the white fluffy stuff!
March 5th - Nighttime on the nest
Infrared black and white image
March 6th - She laid eggs!
You can see them in the nest when she takes off.
March 7th - Buzzing the nest
Don't know what she was doing, making repairs maybe? It looked like she was hurrying to fix something.
March 12 - Buzzing the camera!
Looks like she finally noticed she was being filmed!
I think this is an "Anna's Hummingbird". Also, FYI, her first name is Hanna. Her full name is Hanna Anna, Queen of Zarina and Thereabouts.
Some information on Hanna's Anna's from the Audubon website:
Eggs: 2. White. Incubation is by female only, 14-19 days. Young: Female
feeds the young, sticking her bill deep into their mouths and regurgitating
tiny insects, perhaps mixed with nectar. Age of young at first flight about
18-23 days.
Nests: Usually 4-25 feet above ground, can be lower or higher. Nest (built
by female) is a compact cup of plant fibers and spider webs, lined with
plant down and sometimes feathers, the outside camouflaged with lichens.
Tuesday, March 15
No changes, she just hangs out, fusses with the nest, sits on it, flies off somewhere, comes back, and repeats.
Fussing with the Nest Video
I read somewhere that hummingbirds use spider web filament to anchor or attach their nests to the tree or branch. This is what Hanna the Anna appears to be doing in this video.
This is what she does most of the day! She keeps those babies warm. Hummingbirds normal temperature is 107 degrees! That's hot!
March 16
Hanna Anna in Slo Mo
These were taken with my iPhone mounted on a tripod
Hanna Anna in for a Slo Mo Landing!
She moves so fast, she look pretty quick, even in Slo Mo!
What Happened?
Hanna the Hummingbird has been gone and the nest has been empty for a couple days!
Where did they go? Spring Break? Vacation? Did they pack up and move?
I've looked all over and I can't find them. I'm so sad....
But maybe she did move. Maybe she has another nest somewhere else in the yard.
I set up the camera near the bird feeders to see what I could find out.
First I found A Gold Finch eating birdseed. Interesting, but not Anna.
Next there was a bright yellow and black Hooded Oriole!
Hooded Oriole at the Hummingbird Feeder
Another one! Or probably the same one
Hooded Orioles only visit from March to September or October. Then they go south for the winter. Maybe to Mexico or Peru. I don't know.
And then there was a hummingbird that looked like Hanna Anna!
Hummingbird at the Feeder
I'm not sure, though, what do you think?
Later, as it was getting dark, there were two Humming Birds.
Two Hummingbirds at dusk
Could they be Mr. and Mrs. Hanna Anna?
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