Home Sweet Home by sunnygreenwood

Home Sweet Home

We watched in vain for much of the summer to see where even just one of the hummingbirds had her nest. When all the leaves came down, Barry spotted this one, just 5 or 6 feet from the deck railing.

If you're interested, here's a copy of some nest info at about.com: "Hummingbird nests are built entirely by the female bird – male hummingbirds do not have any part in raising chicks once the initial act of copulation is complete. The female, however, will spend several hours a day for 5-7 days collecting materials to build her nest.

The most common nesting materials found in hummingbird nests include moss and lichen, plant down from thistles, dandelions or cattails, spider silk, cotton fibers, small bits of bark or leaves, feathers, fuzz or hairs from leaves. These materials are woven together into a dense cup that is frequently decorated with moss, lichen or other materials for camouflage.

The edge of the cup is curved inward to protect the eggs from tipping out in high winds, and the spider silk used to bind the nest together gives it elasticity to enlarge as the hatchlings grow. Exact nest dimensions vary depending on the species of hummingbird and the materials used to create the nest, but most hummingbird nests are 1.5 inches in diameter, or roughly the size of a walnut or golf ball."

Many thanks for dropping by.

edit: I added a pic to show the big picture - check Nov 4th pic.
God bless these little miracle birds - I am in awe of them! Wonderful information, thank you for providing this and a great shot of their humble abode.
November 3rd, 2011  
Oh wow love the info and the shot of course. such a work of art on a tiny scale. isn't nature wonderful!!!
November 3rd, 2011  
Great find! Love this.
November 3rd, 2011  
Terrific find. Very cool shot. Hummingbirds are so cute. That must have been a tiny nest.
November 3rd, 2011  
neat shot - and enjoyed the info
November 3rd, 2011  
This is a fantastic find and a beautiful pic! Thank you for including the very interesting info!!! This is wonderful, Anne! Fav for me! :0)
November 3rd, 2011  
Cool shot. Like how you filled the frame to get a great looking DOF and sharp focus. Like the information. For all the hummingbirds, I had never seen a nest. Now, I'll know what one looks like when I do see a nest.
November 3rd, 2011  
I should explain, the nest is about 15 feet off the ground so I would need a really tall ladder to add a ruler or a golf ball to give you an idea of the small size.
November 3rd, 2011  
what a great shot.......and really interesting info.......those little birds are full of personality and have engineering skills to boot!!!
November 3rd, 2011  
Well spotted at last. Nature is too clever for us .
November 3rd, 2011  
cool shot and very interesting information!
November 3rd, 2011  
Great shot!! Love the texture!
November 3rd, 2011  
A wonder of nature.....beautiful capture.
November 3rd, 2011  
nice one great capture
November 3rd, 2011  
The nest is so neat and the photo is great--love the detail and the bokeh.
November 3rd, 2011  
So incredibly amazing, all of it--the mother's work, the detail, the shot, the info! Faved. If it's 15 feet up, how did you get the shot?
November 3rd, 2011  
@mebswartz Awwe, thanks for the fav! that's so nice! I appreciate your comments and continued support. I took the shot from the deck, which is quite a piece off the ground. It's off the main level but because we built the house into the side of a hill, the back where the deck is, slopes away quite quickly. I like having a walk-out basement but stuff like decking gets a little more complicated.
November 3rd, 2011  
Beautiful capture of the nest....perfect composition and background.
November 3rd, 2011  
Fantastic!! Thanks for the bit of info too!!
November 3rd, 2011  
Very Nice - Good Job!
November 3rd, 2011  
Lovely little nest. They are so resourceful. I can't image building a house every year out of sticks.
November 3rd, 2011  
This is so cool.... and what great info on them... thanks so much for sharing!! great find Anne!!
November 3rd, 2011  
Great nest find. I was impressed at the Oriole nests I found after the leaves came down. Would love to find a hummingbird nest.
November 3rd, 2011  
Very interesting photo and info. Love how the background is perfect for the subject.
November 3rd, 2011  
@michaelelliott thanks michael! the background is a million leaves that never get raked! lol. thankfully we don't have any grass, so we just let them fall and leave them there.
@mimigd @cjwhite wow, i can't thank you enough for the favs. this was one of those surprise shots where you only take two shots all day and don't go more than 6 feet past the doorway to take them!
November 3rd, 2011  
The focus on this is perfect, with the lovely fall colors in the background. :-)
November 3rd, 2011  
i love everything about this shot and everything that it represents from the colors to the tones to the life that it brought
November 3rd, 2011  
Instant fave, Anne! I love bird's nests and used to collect them. This is beautiful and I love how resourceful those single mother's are! I never knew hummingbird males were such cads. Chickadee dads are much more responsible for the children. Isn't it funny how bird species are so different?
November 3rd, 2011  
Really nice, Anne! I love bird's nests too unless they are on my front porch. Birds can be very territorial and since I pay the taxes, I should be able to sit on my porch without being attacked.
November 3rd, 2011  
Anne, this is a fabulous shot!!
November 3rd, 2011  
What a fantastic find! Well done, lovely DOF!
November 3rd, 2011  
Awesome catch!! A hummingbird nest is like finding a needle in a haystack! You have a good eye and what a fab shot!
November 4th, 2011  
Wonderful shot and fantastic information too .... such an amazing nest!
November 4th, 2011  
they are so tiny
November 4th, 2011  
Fantastic shot!! Love it with the orange background color!
November 4th, 2011  
What an incredible shot. It is in such god condition. Good eyes, Barry! Thanks so much for the info too.
November 4th, 2011  
Well maybe she'll be back in the Spring. Now you know where to look.
November 4th, 2011  
@digitalrn fingers and toes crossed, rick!!! i sure hope she comes back. apparently sometimes they'll come back and rebuild on top of the old one. sure hope so.
November 4th, 2011  
nice
November 4th, 2011  
Nice capture. These little birds are very skilled at nest building. Your depth of field is perfect.
November 4th, 2011  
Fantastic capture!
November 4th, 2011  
That is a kewl picture of the sweet little quecks-draw babbalouie moving birdies nest.. and thank you Anne for the information.. I love to learn something new each day!
November 4th, 2011  
Awesome capture and information. Wow, I had no idea they were so small.
November 4th, 2011  
Great shot! wonderful angle & focus
November 4th, 2011  
wonderful shot! Incredible that it was right under your nose all summer!
November 4th, 2011  
Lovely shot...we both posted nest pictures today. Interesting info - that nest looks huge but by your info its only as big as a golf ball- WOW!!!
November 4th, 2011  
lovely shot, love the softness, great dof
November 4th, 2011  
Very cool, I've never seen one of these nests before, great close-up :)
November 4th, 2011  
so delicate
November 4th, 2011  
Great find - wonderful detail.
November 4th, 2011  
wonderful, thanks for the info too, those males sound pretty useless
November 4th, 2011  
WOW !!! Great find and fantastic capture! Thanks for such a beautiful close up and narrative! I have not found the local family's nest but fed a couple pairs regularly - i shall look now! Fav!
November 4th, 2011  
Fantastic shot,never seen one before!
November 4th, 2011  
what a great find - really interesting info too
November 5th, 2011  
ah, the wonders of nature. great shot, anne.
November 5th, 2011  
A nature masterpiece! Great find!
November 5th, 2011  
Unique beauty!
November 5th, 2011  
Wow, this is terrific!! Thanks for all the neat info too!!
November 5th, 2011  
Pop page!!!
November 5th, 2011  
A wonderful capture Anne!
November 5th, 2011  
Oh, Anne, this is the perfect capture. I love all of your descriptions, which help us to understand the complexity of this eco-system. Can you imagine having to locate free "stuff" and build a new house every year?
November 5th, 2011  
Awesome shot. I wish I had one too. We didn't get too many hummers this year. I think my neighbor fed them too well.
November 5th, 2011  
Wow, what an awesome find!! Congrats on the PP!!!
November 5th, 2011  
Beautiful shot x
November 5th, 2011  
fabulous shot, I love the composition
November 6th, 2011  
This is terrific. Love the soft, warm toned background....thanks for all that info too! I just realized I need to try shoot some pics off my deck too. It looks over woods. I saw squirrels out there in the trees today, but never got a good shot. Maybe soon...
November 6th, 2011  
beautiful photo and interesting info. Amazing what birds can build with just a beak!
November 6th, 2011  
beautiful stunning shot!
November 6th, 2011  
So lovely, amazing capture :) Love nature!
November 6th, 2011  
Nice find, amazing that it was right there all the time, always the way ;o)
November 6th, 2011  
Congrats on Pop Page!
November 6th, 2011  
Nature is amazing. Wonderful find :)
November 6th, 2011  
What a gorgeous nest! Beautiful shot :)
November 6th, 2011  
Fascinating info and a great shot!
November 7th, 2011  
So cool that you found a nest. I would love to find one. Nice shot of it.
November 7th, 2011  
I just love hummers and am also fascinated by their nests! Great pic!
November 8th, 2011  
Not sure how I missed the close-up, but how fantastic! Nicely found! : )
November 9th, 2011  
Wonderful shot and such a great find! Would make a nice print too.
November 16th, 2011  
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