Portland Free School
Hummers- the bravest, hardest working little birds on the web!
Yes, that is the official nickname for hummingbirds. And Phoebe is perhaps the bravest of them all!
Success! First egg hatched on May 9th - Happy Mother's Day!!!
Do you see how Phoebe uses spider web silk to attach her nest to the tree? Can you see the lichen and bud scales on the outside of the nest? The thistle and dandelion down inside the nest? How soft and wonderful it looks.
Update: 4/26/10
Two eggs in nest, laid 4/23 & 4/25. Due to hatch around 5/10. Phoebe is one hard working little bird! This is her 3rd try this spring. Notice how nicely she is lining the nest with dandelion fluff : )
4/30/10
Phoebe was busy chasing a spider from her nest this morning. It's amazing what can be a threat when your eggs are only the size of a small jelly bean or pea! Her whole nest is about 1 1/2 inches across- about this wide:_______________
and the size of a ping pong ball.
Learn more about her story below.
Two eggs in nest, laid 4/23 & 4/25. Due to hatch around 5/10. Phoebe is one hard working little bird! This is her 3rd try this spring. Notice how nicely she is lining the nest with dandelion fluff : )
4/30/10
Phoebe was busy chasing a spider from her nest this morning. It's amazing what can be a threat when your eggs are only the size of a small jelly bean or pea! Her whole nest is about 1 1/2 inches across- about this wide:_______________
and the size of a ping pong ball.
Learn more about her story below.
Phoebe laid a clutch of eggs in late February. It was exciting and sweet to see her incubating her little eggs. On March 14, I was watching when Phoebe flew off her nest, and I saw a little hole (a pip) in one of her eggs. That meant it was hatching! (You can see the little hole, or pip, in the left-side egg in the photo below.)
But the egg never finished hatching. I don't know why.
But the egg never finished hatching. I don't know why.
Two days later, a lizard threatens the nest.
Phoebe dive-bombs the lizard several times and drives it away. Then, she removes the non-viable egg.
Somehow during the ruckus, the remaining egg is broken. Phoebe sits on the broken egg for another day or two, then abandons the nest. The egg isn't going to hatch.
Here is a four minute video of the lizard and Phoebe. The parts where she drives the lizard away go by very quickly!
Here is a four minute video of the lizard and Phoebe. The parts where she drives the lizard away go by very quickly!
Phoebe laid another clutch of eggs in late March, but a crow ate them! She didn't give up, and laid this clutch of eggs on April 23rd & 25th. Now we have new chicks expected on May 10th! That's why I say she is the bravest and hardest working bird on the web!
Hummingbirds beat their wings about 53 times per second when in flight. Wow.
This video shows a hummingbird beating its wings in slow motion.
This video shows a hummingbird beating its wings in slow motion.
How big is a hummingbird nest?
How big is a hummingbird chick?
Look at the picture, then look at your thumb.
That's about how big!
What sound does a hummingbird make?
Listen...
How big is a hummingbird chick?
Look at the picture, then look at your thumb.
That's about how big!
What sound does a hummingbird make?
Listen...
Can you hear the wings beating?
A hummingbird uses these materials to build her nest:
A camouflaged hideout?
- Lichens and bud scales
- Thistle and dandelion down
- Spider silk
- Provide insulation to keep the eggs warm
- Protect against the weather
- Provide cushioning for the eggs
- Be strong enough to hold the mother & chicks
- Stretch to hold the chicks as they grow
- Camouflage the nest from predators
A camouflaged hideout?
Notice the spider web in the hummer's beak
Lichen
Thistle Down
Bud Scales
The female hummingbird looks for a nest site that is sheltered above by leafy branches and usually open to the ground beneath. She picks a sturdy branch that slants downward from the tree. The twigs may be at least an inch wide but she usually finds a place where they fork, so they're a little wider at the bottom. Nests have been found anywhere from six to 50 feet above ground, but the average is 10 to 20 feet.
Guess how much an adult hummingbird weighs? About as much as a penny!
