Hummingbird nests

Sat Aug 07, 2010 6:23 pm

How big are they? When do Hummers make nest?

I have a feeder in my front yard with one angry hummer (Apple you were right they are mean :lol:

). There is one bird constantly chirping when the others come around. I was out there watching this for about an hour last night. Must be 6 or more trying to get to the feeder. But the one keeps fending them off. Bad for the others but it is cool watching them battle. I just stand there and chill and there will be 3-4+ hummers buzzing right past my head at Mach 3.

I'm not sure if there is a nest in the tree or just one super hungry/territorial bird that doesn't want to share. :lol:

I have looked the tree over and over (it is a small maple maybe 12 foot tall or so) and I can't find anything at all. This gets the selfish hummer all upset buzzing around me and chirping like mad. But I just can't see anything in the tree I'm sure the nest are small.

I did put up another feeder around back about 15 minutes ago. They have already found it. There are a couple of them out there now.

On another note I forgot or was too lazy to put up my feeder in front till a short while ago. I hadn't seen hardly any hummers at all, again within minutes I had them coming and now there is a huge horde of them always hanging around. They sure know how to find food that is for sure.

For anyone interested in making their own food (it's soooo much cheaper than buying premade) it's 4-1 water - sugar. So 4 cups water and one cup sugar (or 8-2 or whatever you get the idea) . Boil the water for a few minutes to purify it than add the sugar till dissolved boil for another min or so let cool. No need for food coloring. How easy is that?

Gonna go check out my feeder now, they are already swarming it.

Sat Aug 07, 2010 6:32 pm

They are difficult to see, because they're made of lichens, moss, and bits of bark. They're lined with spider web silk. At the rehab center, we would use a hypodermic needle and syringe to feed the orphaned babies. It required a very delicate touch.

Sat Aug 07, 2010 7:18 pm

I would love to see a photo of your humming bird feeders if you can

It sounds like you've made a hummingbird paradise lol

Sat Aug 07, 2010 7:26 pm

Some hummies also make hanging-basket type nests about 6" long, again, using grasses, lichens, and mosses, and lined with spider silk. These are a bit easier to spot, but I'm not sure if the behaviour is peculiar to our native hummies or if some of the migratory ones make this type of nest. Nesting occurs late spring/early summer, and babies at midsummer - they have to be able to fly in time for the winter migration.

I've been buzzed by quite large hummies down here - think of birds about the size of sparrows. They're quite territorial - I have a mated pair of Sparkling Violetears who have claimed my front yard, and a single male Trainbearer who chases everybody around the back yard - he's got kind of a raw deal, because the lime trees are in the front, but he's got all the tomatoes back there. I'm thinking of putting in Canna for him, and lucky for him the bananas are going into the back as well (although that's going to be a while before flowers).

Mon Aug 09, 2010 5:03 pm

i spied a very small nest in a red pine tree the other day..think it might be a bit too large for a hummer but it was very small...i didn't approach it as i don't know if it was empty and it was above head high..but it appeared to have spider webs in it and it had like tree flowers stuck to the webs to fill out the nest..i should take a photo of it..but it will have to be from below..it was quite a unique nest..intersting to watch the little critters.

we have some new birds here the past few years that i have been observing..so it could be a nest of one of those..i wouldn't have found it if i hadn't been cleanig out some underbrush (overgrown junipers) under the red pine.