Mama Ruby-throated Hummingbird Sitting on her Nest

Walking on the trail today, I looked up just in time to see a tiny bit of movement in the leaves. Something was there. Something small. I put the binocs up to my eyes and spun the focusing dial slowly until a tiny lichen-covered nest topped by a lovely female Red-throated Hummingbird came into view. So tiny and sweet, she had decorated her nest with a beautiful display of lichens, locking everything in place with spider web silk. Although not visible, the inside of her nest would be lined with plant down. If you look closely, you can see the down from a dandelion seed stuck in the spider web at the base of the nest.

(Click photo to enlarge to see the detail in the lichens.)

Right now, at home as I write this, a storm is rolling through. Rain is pouring in torrents and thunder and lightning are reminding me it’s spring. I think about the little female sitting tight on her nest protecting her eggs from the wind and rain and am very glad I was lucky enough to spot that tiny movement and catch a glimpse of her world of tiny perfection.

Beak Bit
The female builds her nest after the male finds a suitable location. She collects strands of spider web silk and wraps them around plant material and lichens. The lichens adhere to the sticky cobweb as the female pushes the small flakes into the silk using her bill. She also traps bits of lichens under strands of silk she has woven around and around the nest. Very small, the nest is only one and a half inches across, a hummingbird itself, being only three to three and three quarters inches long. She usually lays two white, bean-sized eggs and incubates them for about 14 days, sitting on them 60-80% of the day. After the eggs hatch, the male often will fly off and find another mate, taking no part in rearing the young.