Tag Archives: hummingbird

Then There Were Two….Hummingbirds

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Then there were TWO........the second egg hatched today.

Then there were TWO........the second egg hatched today.

I peeked into the nest today while Mama hummingbird was away and discovered that the second egg had hatched. Apparently when hummingbirds lay their eggs, the incubation starts once both eggs are in the nest and so they hatch at about the same time.

I never thought they'd be so dark and scrawny looking with a few feathers on their back.

I never thought they'd be so dark and scrawny looking with a few feathers on their back.

I managed to catch two little beaks wide open and waiting for food.

I managed to catch two little beaks wide open and waiting for food.

Here's the cracked egg and you can just see the yellow beak of the second, newly hatched humminbird

Here's the cracked egg and you can just see the yellow beak of the second, newly hatched humminbird

 

Two hummingbird babies lying beside the discarded shells....I wonder what will happen to the egg shells as the birds get larger.

Two hummingbird babies lying beside the discarded shells....I wonder what will happen to the egg shells as the birds get larger.

 

I’m so pleased at being able to photograph these sweet little hummingbird nestlings.

Enjoy!

 

 

Marta

 

 

http://www.harbourclubvillas.com

Baby Hummingbird

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Peaked in the nest today and surprise, surprise, there it was, a tiny little hummingbird has hatched.

Peaked in the nest today and surprise, surprise, there it was, a tiny little hummingbird has hatched.

The other egg is still waiting to hatch and the mother hummingbird still sits on the nest most of the time .

The other egg is still waiting to hatch and the mother hummingbird still sits on the nest most of the time .

Here's the little one with his beak wide open hoping for some food.

Here's the little one with his beak wide open hoping for some food.

The mother hummingbird tending to her young.

The mother hummingbird tending to her young.

Bahama Woodstar hatchling.

Bahama Woodstar hatchling.

Tiny newborn hummingbird.

Tiny newborn hummingbird.

Marta

 

 

http://www.harbourclubvillas.com

Hummingbird Update

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Here she is.....nest all finished and ready to lay her eggs.

Here she is.....nest all finished and ready to lay her eggs.

All during this last week, our little hummingbird mama has been soooo busy building her nest. It has grown quite substantially (see my earlier blog as she began building her nest). For the first several days we had consistent rain but that didn’t stop her as she flew in and out with soft bits of tree bark and glued her nest together with spider webs.

Note she has some fluff in her beak to line the nest with some softness.

Note she has some fluff in her beak to line the nest with some softness.

 

Clever little bird, she camouflaged her nest well and built it into a cactus branch

Clever little bird, she camouflaged her nest well and built it into a cactus branch. This is another of Mike's super photos...look at the colours on the tail feathers!!

A closer look at those spectacular colours on her tailfeathers

A closer look at those spectacular colours on her tailfeathers

Two days ago when I took a look inside the nest, the Bahama Woodstar hummingbird had laid a tiny egg. Apparently it will take 16 to 18 days to incubate but I’m thinking she will be laying another egg soon. So far though, there’s only the one. 

One little egg in the nest ..... will she lay another?

One little egg in the nest ..... will she lay another?

She spends lots of time sitting on the egg in her nest. We walk past here so many times during the day so she must be getting used to the traffic.

She spends lots of time sitting on the egg in her nest. We walk past here so many times during the day so she must be getting used to the traffic.

Hummingbirds build an amazing, well constructed nest that is a bit more than an inch or so in diameter and probably two inches high so that the eggs are secure.  It is round, open, and made of soft woolly material similar to cotton, camouflaged on the outside with tiny pieces of bark . We have some wild cotton here at Harbour Club so she has probably found some of that to line her nest with.  They may choose a variety of sites from two feet to twelve feet from the ground. Two rather elongated white eggs are generally laid so we are now waiting for the second egg to appear.

You can see a closer view of the egg in the hummingbird's nest

You can see a closer view of the egg in the hummingbird's nest

 

Nesting hummingbird hidden in the cactus tree close by our walkway to our house at Harbour Club Villas
Nesting hummingbird hidden in the cactus tree close by our walkway to our house at Harbour Club Villas

Much excitement with watching and photographing this little hummingbird! Watch for more as hopefully the babies will hatch in a few weeks. I’m also watching a Gray Kingbird nest which today has four eggs in it. When I first saw it, there were just two but these birds lay up to five eggs….so we’ll see. But this will be for another post.

Happy birding and birdwatching!!
Marta
http://www.harbourclubvillas.com

Hummingbird Nest

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I looked and looked trying to find the little hummingbird's nest........finally, there it was!

I looked and looked trying to find the little hummingbird's nest........finally, there it was!

Over the last few days, every time I walked up the stone pathway to our cabin, a tiny hummingbird would hover over my head as if to say….don’t come any closer!  I thought there might be a nest in the large Sapodilla tree but I kept looking there and couldn’t find anything. I finally stood there and took a few photos of the hummingbird as she perched and posed on a branch.

The start of a tiny nest on a cactus plant....soft plant material and cobwebs to glue it together.

The start of a tiny nest on a cactus plant....soft plant material and cobwebs to glue it together.

The Bahama Woodstar hummingbird spent alot of time today flying in with bits of soft  plant pieces and leaf hairs. The spider webs make terrific glue for the nest and allow the nest to stretch and be flexible as the baby hummingbirds grow. Take a look at the spider’s webs holding the nest on the cactus as well as the cactus spikes.

Bahama Woodstar hummingbird forming her nest with her body as she builds it in a tall cactus tree beside our cabin.

Bahama Woodstar hummingbird forming her nest with her body as she builds it in a tall cactus tree beside our cabin.

A mother hummingbird will sit in a nest and use a wing to press the nest against her body to mold it into the perfect shape. She will press her rump into the center of the nest and against the walls to round the inside. I’m excited at the prospect of watching this mama bird as she completes the nest and lays her eggs. Also wondering if this cactus branch isn’t a little too exposed especially with all the comings and goings of Barry and I as it’s right there at the entrance to our cabin.

The Mama hummingbird trying her nest on for size!

The Mama hummingbird trying her nest on for size!

I’m hoping in the days to come to get photos of the eggs and baby birds. Keep checking back.
Marta
http://www.harbourclubvillas.com

Baby Hummingbirds

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Here's the little baby hummingbird just waiting for Mama to bring him some food.

Here's the little baby hummingbird just waiting for Mama to bring him some food.

Hummingbirds have long tongues and I didn't know that until I saw this photo.

Hummingbirds have long tongues and I didn't know that until I saw this photo.

To reach the nectar at the base of a long flower tube, a hummingbird will extend its tongue past the bill to a distance at least as long as the bill. I’m not sure if the baby hummingbird was trying to lap something up or just preparing for his Mama and feeding time.

The Mama hummingbird arrives for a feeding.....she's on the left and baby has cocked his head away from the camera for the feeding so I didn't get and good photos.

The Mama hummingbird arrives for a feeding.....she's on the left and baby has cocked his head away from the camera for the feeding so I didn't get any good photos.

 

He was looking around for his Mama......we could hear her but couldn't see her.

He was looking around for his Mama......we could hear her but couldn't see her.

 Hummingbirds feed by dipping their tongues into nectar at up to 12 times a second. The mother humming bird will eat nectar and bugs and then regurgitate the substance into a slurry mixture the baby hummingbirds can digest. She inserts her beak all the way down into the mouths of the baby hummingbirds while dropping the regurgitated insects and nectar inside.

Almost grown and ready to venture out on its own.

Almost grown and ready to venture out on its own.

Hope you enjoyed the last few posts on these extraordinary little creatures. I sure had fun watching and photographing them.

 

 

Marta

 

 

http://www.harbourclubvillas.com

Bahama Woodstar hummingbirds

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The two baby hummingbirds have almost outgrown their little nest.

The two baby hummingbirds have almost outgrown their little nest.

Here's a closeup of these two cute little baby hummers.

Here's a closeup of these two cute little baby hummers.

The Bahama Woodstar hummingbird babies are almost ready to fly and leave the nest

The Bahama Woodstar hummingbird babies are almost ready to fly and leave the nest

I’ve been keeping an eye on the two baby hummingbirds these last few days. All of a sudden when I checked, there was only one baby left in the nest. I looked around for Mama and the little one that had flown off but couldn’t see him. Then yesterday, there was lots of twittering going on and the the mother hummingbird was calling to the one baby who had flown a short ways into our ficus tree. He was low enough that I managed to get a few photos which I will post tommorrow.

The proud Mama hummingbird perches on our clothes line and keeps flying off to find food for her babies.

The proud Mama hummingbird perches on our clothes line and keeps flying off to find food for her babies.

 

Marta

 

 

http://www.harbourclubvillas.com

Baby Hummingbirds at Harbour Club Villas

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I looked up and straight ahead and saw a small hummingbird nest with two beaks sticking up in the air.

I looked up and straight ahead and saw a small hummingbird nest with two beaks sticking up in the air.

I was taking in the laundry today and all of a sudden I heard the humming of a hummingbird………..Barry had told me that he had seen one frequently out back of our cabin. I looked up searching for the tiny bird and to my surprise, I looked directly at a nest that was in our Poui tree. I could see two little beaks pointing straight up in the air.

The two baby hummingbirds were snuggled side by side in the nest.

The two baby hummingbirds were snuggled side by side in the nest.

The nest is made out of soft materials like moss and lichen, cotton fluffs, soft plant pieces, dryer lint, and leaf hairs. Items are brought back to the nest a little at a time and glued together with spider webs……..there’s loads of those here at Harbour Club!

I wanted you to see how this nest is cradled in a tri-fork of a Poui tree.

I wanted you to see how this nest is cradled in a tri-fork of a Poui tree.

The Mama hummingbird looks for a place that is well off the ground to prevent predators such as ants, snakes, and predatory birds finding the nest. It must also be sheltered from wind and the heat of the sun during the main part of the day. She found a really good solid base in our Poui tree where three branches had grown from a knot.

The two baby hummingbirds are so sweet and almost look like they are getting too big to fit both of them together.

The two baby hummingbirds are so sweet and almost look like they are getting too big to fit both of them together.

I’m thinking these two little ones will be flying the nest pretty soon as they seem to be really squished in there together.

A beautiful twosome.........I'm hoping if I watch close enough, I'll see them trying to fly really soon.

A beautiful twosome.........I'm hoping if I watch close enough, I'll see them trying to fly really soon.

Here's a closeup of one of the babies in the nest.

Here's a closeup of one of the babies in the nest.

And so, I’ll be watching the babies and hoping to get a few photos as they learn to fly. The positioning of the tree and the nest may make it difficult as I don’t want to scare them. We’ll see………hope you enjoy these photos.

 

 

Marta

 

 

http://www.harbourclubvillas.com