We have a BABY!!!!
The Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris) mother to be is indeed! A mother! We thought the nest had been abandoned after a series of torrential thunderstorms but a few days ago I thought I saw what was a wee beak, or a twig, so set up the camera the next day and lo and behold! The females build their nests on a slender, often descending branch, usually of deciduous trees like oak, poplar, birch, or sometimes pine, ours is in a maple right in front of the house!
Information is from:Cornell Lab-all about birds
“The nest is the size of large thimble, built directly on top of the branch rather than in a fork. It’s made of thistle or dandelion down held together with strands of spider silk and sometimes pine resin. The female stamps on the base of the nest to stiffen it, but the walls remain pliable. She shapes the rim of the nest by pressing and smoothing it between her neck and chest. The exterior of the nest is decorated (probably camouflaged) with bits of lichen and moss. The nest takes 6-10 days to finish and measures about 2 inches across and 1 inch deep.”
NESTING FACTS
| Clutch Size: | 1-3 eggs |
| Number of Broods: | 1-2 broods |
| Egg Length: | 0.5-0.6 in (1.2-1.4 cm) |
| Egg Width: | 0.3-0.3 in (0.8-0.9 cm) |
| Incubation Period: | 12-14 days |
| Nestling Period: | 18-22 days |
| Egg Description: | Tiny, white, weighting about half a gram, or less than one-fiftieth of an ounce. |
| Condition at Hatching: | Naked apart from two tracts of gray down along the back, eyes closed, clumsy. |
The duties of creating the nest, incubation and feeding the chicks are entirely up to the female Ruby-throated Hummingbird…single mother indeed!
So excited to see this baby grow up! Every few days it seems to double in size! He/she flops about in the nest, preening it’s feathers, stretching it’s wings, sometimes looking like it might fall out and sits and waits for regurgitated gnats…yum…not;)
Sorry for the overload of cuteness. This little fuzz ball is quite the unit!
Mother feeds her chick/chicks with small, protein-rich insects and nectar throughout the day, seems to be about every 20-25 minutes so far! As the chick grows, the nest expands, it is quite pliable/elastic (from the cobweb construction) from watching the kid bouncing around up there! From what I’ve read little missy/mister will be here about three weeks until it can fly on it’s own! We’ll keep you posted on the progress!
Isn’t nature grand!
For those interested-shot with a well weathered Canon 6D-Tamron 150-600 G2 using live view to focus, mirror lockup and a remote as to not wobble everything, much, anyway. I may be in the market for a new tripod!
Saludos amigos-stay tuned!