Winter

Winter

Saturday, January 7, 2012

Hummingbird Nest

Remember last summer when I found this tiny humming bird nest? One of the things I did
was watch it from a distance all summer long. As the mother humming bird hatched more
eggs the sides of the nest got higher. This was taken early in the spring. It surprised me how
all summer she hatched more and more hummingbirds.
Then about October I went to check and I couldn't find the nest. I looked and looked but I thought
what might have been it would turn out to be just a knot. I didn't want to get a ladder.
I knew we would be trimming the tree later and I would look for it then.
Last weekend my husband started trimming trees and when I remembered
the hummingbird nest I went right out. The branch I thought it was on was
missing and so we looked through the limbs and we finally found it. 
I guess why you don't see hummingbird nests like you see other bird
nests is that they are so fragile. I picked it up and it is hardly made of 
anything. My daughter told me they make their nests of spiderweb.
That is what it is like, spider silk and seeds. I don't know if I will
ever find another one again. They are so hard to see. We just happened
to see this mother fighting the mockingbirds and the dove away from her tree.
You can see in this picture a bit more of the leaves and seeds. 
We have a few around that haven't went to warmer places. They seem to be
more shy now than in the summer. I saw one today that darted into the 
Strawberry Tree as we walked by. 
I hope you weekend is nice today.
~Kim~

19 comments:

Alica said...

Oh you are so lucky to have hummingbirds! I've only ever seen one here, and it was fleeting. I though it was a large bee, and by the time I realized what it was, it was gone. They are so beautiful!

Nancy said...

This is absolutely amazing....I never knew this about hummingbirds and I have never seen one of their nests...So fragile....

I never tire of hearing of the amazing ways God has taught animals to take care of themselves......beautiful story...

Julia said...

How interesting about the hummingbird's nest. You are lucky to still see hummingbirds at this time of year. They arrive here early spring when it's still fairly cool outside. I set up a nectar feeder for them but as soon as my flowers starts to bloom they feed of the flowers too.

Have a great weekend. Hugs, JB

TexWisGirl said...

definitely nothing i've ever gotten to see in person! thanks for re-finding it again!

Larkrise garden girl said...

Hi Kim.I once got attacked by a hummingbird,I didn't realized I was so near their nest in a potatoe bush.Lol
I try to plant bushes that attract birds and butterfly's.

Pom Pom said...

Fascinating, Kim!
Have you ever read Miss Hickory? You'd LOVE it!
She's a twig lady who must live in a nest for a short time.
Spider webs. Wow!

Jill said...

Wow! I have never seen one of their nests before. Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful find!

From Beyond My Kitchen Window said...

That is so interesting. I have never even seen a hummingbird in person let alone a nest. Awesome post!

Sassafras and Winterberry said...

That nest is fantastic. I just love hummingbirds. I never saw them at my old house, but when we moved up here to NH I put up a feeder and I had several. I fell in love with watching them zoom in and out. It's too cold for them now...I look forward to spring when they'll come back!
Hugs,
Courtney

Judy said...

Interesting post. We have lots of hummingbirds, and lots of spiders. I'll be on the lookout for hummingbird nests!

Kathy ... aka Nana said...

Thank you SO much for sharing that ... it's fascinating! I've never seen a hummingbird's nest before. We have one (or more?) in our small neighborhood ... we see one (or more?) flying around our hibiscus on the deck. Every time I go get the camera to get a photo, he/she has moved on. :-( We did get one "trapped" in our garage one morning ... took forever to get that poor thing out.

Empty Nester said...

I have a question for you- do you have hummingbird feeders? We just bought one and I wanted to make some syrup for it but so far every site says it has to be white sugar in the water not turbinado or honey, etc. Do you have a recipe?

Kim said...

Wow, I've never seen their nests before. I will be on the look-out this summer. Very cool. I'll be sending you a catch-up note later :)

Coloring Outside the Lines said...

Oh wow!~ I have never seen a nest before. I can see why, now!

Sue said...

I find this so very interesting Kim, as I love hummingbirds and have always wanted to find one of their nests. Enjoyed your new blog.
Love,
Sue

Miss Debbie said...

Thanks for showing us...really interesting!

Maryann said...

Hummingbirds are a favorite of ours. They show up sometime in My of June and stick around until October. I have never seen a hummingbird nest before, this was fascinating....ah for summer days

Janettessage.blogspot.com said...

This is so fascinating....I can't wait to show it to Benjamin, we loved watching humming birds last year. I didn't even think to look for their nest.
Have a great week.

Yolanda said...

I loved this post. I have never seen a hummingbird nest so dainty and strong. I would love to find one someday. Hope you are having a wonderful week.