Hummingbird Webcam

[Enko_chan]

Don't know if you've seen this one. Chris shared it with me today. I hadn't seen it on here so I wanted to share... sorry if its already been posted.

There are some earlier videos of the eggs being laid and hatching.

http://phoebeallens.com/

[Enko_chan]

Female hummingbirds will need nesting material to make her nest. She likes to use nice soft material like moss and lichen. She also likes to use cotton fluffs, bits of willows, soft plant pieces, dryer lint, and leaf hairs. She will bring these items back to her nest a little at a time, gluing it all together with spider webs. The spider webs make terrific glue for the nest, allow the nest to stretch and be flexible as the baby hummingbirds grow, and make it easier for the mother hummingbird to repair the nest when kids do what kids do. While building the nest, the female hummingbird will try to camouflage it as much as possible by using small sticks, seeds, and plant pieces to shade the outside of the nest. She will make sure the lighter parts of the nest are in the sun, while the darker parts of the nest are in the shade, blending it in with the surroundings.


I thought that this was really super neat. Here's a link to the page about hummingbird nesting, so you can read the whole page. Its so fascinating! http://www.worldofhummingbirds.com/nest.php

[linda040899]

Thanks for sharing this with us, Kristi!
We have cams for quite a few different kinds of birds but no Hummers, at least until this one! They are truly amazing tiny birds, and, believe it or not, I've never seen a live one, just photos... :(

The size of the Hummer in relation to the leave that surround the nest really give an idea of just how small Hummers really are!

[Chickobee]

This is a wonderful webcam--full color and enlarged so you can really see the nest and what is going on in it. I watched the mom fly off and then return and feed her two babies. I've bookmarked it so I can keep coming back to check to see their progress.

Thank you for posting this. :)

I just love hummingbirds and feed dozens of them every summer. I think they bring their babies back because I've needed to add more feeders again this year as well as changing most of them from pints to quarts. Otherwise all ten of them would be empty by the time I can get home from work each day. I have no idea how many there are--just that there are always hummingbird wars out there and little sentries perched in various places trying to guard them.

A couple of weeks ago I had dozens of Rufous males but no females that I noticed. Now the Annas hummingbirds have arrived and I think some of the Rufous hummingbirds have continued their migration to Canada because there don't seem to be as many of them now. Maybe they stop for a week or two at my house to replenish their reserves before finishing their long migration.

Thank you for posting the webcam. I've never found a hummingbird nest. They take off in add directions when they leave the feeders and I think they are nesting in the cedar trees. Since they build their nests from lichen and spider webs it would be extremely difficult to find them in the tree branches.

[Enko_chan]

Phoebe, the mother hummingbird, has many camp followers who have been watching her through her previous clutches, too.

Apparently she has five nests built in this large rose bush, and adds to them/fixes them up and alternates between them. They must be very sturdily built and weather resistant! How's that for clever architecture!

I know that we have some hummingbirds in our area, but there are more in the central and western part of the state where my grandparents and siblings live. We often watch them flittering about my grandmother's garden. One of the species that lives in this area are half the size of Phoebe.

They design their nests to blend in very well, adding plant material on the outside to camouflage it. To get an idea of how small they really are, that video is enlarged several times, her nest is approximately golf ball sized!

I'm glad you are enjoying it, I've found it captivating. I've been watching the falcon, eagle, and a crane cam too- but this one is very well-placed and clear. Its incredible how fast they feather and fledge! 2 days ago these birds had no fluff at all!

[Janie]

I posted this link here a while ago. I've been following that little hummer....hmmm, this is the FOURTH clutch! I read up on her and found out that she usually has 5 clutches a year from Oct. through May so this is hopefully her last for this year. Her previous clutches that I've followed have either been dud eggs or babies that died or were taken by a lizard.

I also follow her on Facebook! :D

[Chickobee]

What part of the country is this from? The hummingbirds in my area seem to raise two clutches before they leave again. (Washington state)

[Enko_chan]

This is in California.

[Janie]

Linda, this particular species is the only one in the US that does not migrate and has that many clutches. Specifically she is a "Channel Island Allen" hummingbird. Amazing! I keep thinking about her calcium levels but obviously she's getting what she needs.

The hummingbirds in my area, Ruby Throated, only mate once per season, usually in late June to mid July.