While sitting on my balcony one morning this January, I spotted an Anna’s hummingbird chirping away. Insta-thrill. There’s nothing quite like having a ‘resident’ hummer. It’s a very special kind of privilege. My hope in documenting this journey is to pass that joy along to you.
3 & 4 Days Old
The two chicks hatched one day apart. At just 3 & 4 days old, they are still so tiny that the mother spends most of her day on the nest keeping them warm and protected. The rest of the time she’s searching for insects to feed them.
Click image to play the video.
Mama Needs to Eat, Too
Mama needs to eat too. Sugar water from home feeders or nectar from backyard gardens provide a quick boost of energy for busy hummingbirds. Here is the mother of the chicks coming for a quick drink. Listen to the sound of her wings as they beat faster than we can imagine.
Click image to play the video.
Visitors Beware
It’s not always flowers and sugar water in the life of a hummingbird! When other birds get too close to the nest, Mama needs to protect and serve. Watch what happens when another female Anna’s hummingbird stops by to check out the cute chicks (8 and 9 days old).
Click image to play the video.
Potty Trained
Did I mention that hummingbirds don’t need to be potty trained? It is quite astounding that this behavior of going to the toilet (over the side of the nest) is innate. You’ll see that behavior as well as some awkward cuteness in this multi-clip video of the chicks between days 1 and 10.
Click image to play the video.
Flapping Practice
As soon as the chicks started to develop their wings at around 10 days of age, they were eager to try them out. Watch their wings develop over the course of just 5 days!
Click image to play the video.
Ready…Set…
At 17/18 days old, the chicks are really starting to look like hummingbirds in this short “day in the life” video. A few more days now until they fledge and start their journey of independence. To see more videos of the chicks up to and after fledging, head over to Facebook and enjoy the adventure.
Click image to play the video.
Attract Hummingbirds to Your Yard
Anyone who has been blessed with a close encounter of the hummingbird kind will tell you how mesmerizing these tiny birds are. What’s even more amazing is that many people who have never seen one in the flesh feel the same way. That’s a lot of power for such a small creature.
You can welcome these tiny wonders to your garden with native plants or by making your own nectar. Attract these birds (and other wildlife) and submit your yard or garden to be recognized as a Certified Wildlife Habitat!
The Hummingbird Project is the story of Annabel the Anna’s Hummingbird and her two chicks. The project was created by photographer and filmmaker, Alexis Coram, with support by Borrowlenses.com and Smugmug.
These nests were likely built by meadowlarks or dickcissels, which depend on grasslands as their primary habitat. It was evident that the nests were built after wheat harvest in mid-August; the nests were, after all, constructed with the chopped wheat straw. It was also evident the nests were built before the snow, as some were still partially covered by the winter’s blanket.
Proven Results
We already know about the water quality and carbon sequestration benefits of cover crops. Research has shown that cover crops can reduce field nutrient runoff by up to 90% and that cover crops are a key ingredient to maximizing carbon sequestration, an important step to addressing climate change. However, one area lacking a solid body of knowledge is the direct nesting and foraging benefits of cover crops. Established research has shown that no till provides a significant wildlife benefit in terms of nesting and foraging for bird species.
- First, cover crops provide residue for nesting and protection from predators. In order to maximize this value to wildlife, covers need to reach at least 16 inches in height and contain a mixture of species.
- Second, cover crop residue provides direct foraging sources for a number of species. Grasses and clovers are popular food sources for many bird species.
- Third, cover crops improve soil health and encourage populations of soil micro and macro organisms. These soil organisms, from mites to earthworms and everything in between, form the basis for the animal food web.
Now by no means did I conduct a full scientific experiment in my field with replicated plots of control and variable. However, it does provide further real farm evidence of the wildlife value of adding cover crops to working lands. Last year, National Wildlife Federation provided funding to a few research projects to scientifically examine the impact cover crops have on wildlife, from amphibians to birds. Results from that first year of research will be released in early 2015, so stay tuned for that information.
]]>Many songbirds are master builders, putting together intricately made weavings of twig and leaf, stem and fluff, hair and moss. Some nests, like the Baltimore oriole’s, will hang from a tree branch like a small tote bag. Others, like the robin’s, are cups bristling with twigs painstakingly collected one or a few at a time. Even if you provide birdhouses in your garden, the birds that occupy them will build nests in them.
So, what can you do about it? Well, you can provide nesting material of a wide variety of types that appeal to a wide variety of birds, attracting avians to your garden as surely as you would with a feeder.
You have two ways to provide nesting materials: You can grow plants that offer construction goods, or you can offer raw items.
Plants
Twigs
For birds looking for small twigs, almost any tree or shrub you plant will do. When small branches or twigs fall from a shrub and gather at its base, leave them for birds to pick up, preferably in lengths under 4 inches.
Greenery
Some birds line nests with soft plant matter. You can provide this accoutrement by growing catkin-bearing trees and shrubs such as cottonwood, maple, mulberry, willows, poplar and beech.
Fluff
Many birds—hummingbirds spring to mind, but other songbirds as well—gravitate toward fluffy material, such as seeds with silky attachments designed to waft them on the wind or seed pods with a soft, hairlike covering. You can provide these items via cottonwood trees, lamb’s ear (ground cover), milkweed (also good for attracting monarch butterflies), honeysuckle, and clematis.
Mud
If you have a pesky spot in your garden that refuses to grow anything but dirt, try adding a little water and see if you can grow mud. Mud is a favored nesting material for swallows and swifts and even the common robin.
Dry grass
When you trim your yard, perhaps you can find a spot in your garden for laying out a selection of dried grass stems cut 2 to 4 inches long. Grass is a common ingredient in songbird nests, used by species from native sparrows to robins.
Moss
If you have a shady spot in your yard, trying growing moss; with its velvety green growth, moss is a beautiful highlight for any moist garden and is a favored building material of some hummingbird species.
Raw Materials
Hair
Almost any kind of fur or wool will do. Dog fur is probably handiest for most people, especially when dogs are shedding in spring. Curry them, take the fur off the brush, and put it in your garden (we’ll talk below about ways to distribute it). If you use goat hair or wool from a sheep, cut longer pieces into 4- to 6- inch lengths. Animal fiber works well for nesting, because it is durable and not inclined to soak up water. Just don’t use any fur that has been treated with flea dips or insect repellents.
Please do not try to provide human hair for birds! Human hair is so thin that it can easily wrap around birds legs and necks, cutting off their circulation and causing serious injury or death.
Snakeskins
Who doesn’t have a few snakeskins lying around going to waste? You don’t? Well, okay, but you never know when a snake might shed its skin in your yard. If you find one these integumentary artifacts—looking like thin, almost transparent parchment—hang it in a tree or shrub where a bird may find it and apply it to its décor.
Natural Fibers
You can offer fabric, yarn, twine or string made of natural fibers such as raw cotton, hemp, sisal or wool. These natural fibers won’t retain water in the nest, will eventually deteriorate naturally over time, and are similar to the fibers birds would find in the landscape. Cut them into one-inch-wide strips and in lengths under 6 inches long, and put them where birds will find them, such as on tree and shrub branches. Don’t use synthetic fibers or long lengths, which, like hair, can tangle and injure birds.
Don’t Use Dryer Lint!
The lint collected in your dryer filter may seem like ideal nesting material, but it isn’t. It will soak up water and may be steeped with chemicals unhealthy for birds, such as remnants of detergent and softener.
Delivery Systems
So you have a collection of wool, dog hair and strips of natural fibers. How do you do deliver it to birds? My favorite method: Cram a mix of the items into a suet feeder, giving songbirds access to a smorgasbord of building basics. Or, fill the head of a kitchen whisk with the various materials and hang the whisk by its handle from a tree or shrub. Do-it-yourselfers might like tocheck out a designfor an easily made wire holder.
Aside from bribing them into your garden with foodstuff, providing nesting material is one of the best ways to attract spring and summer birds. If you offer it, they will build.
Become a Wildlife Gardener with National Wildlife Federation. It’s free and you’ll get great wildlife gardening tips and learn how to certify your garden as an official habitat.
More information from National Wildlife magazine:
How to garden for climate change
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Status Updates for 2015
Feb. 18, 2015: First egg arrives
Feb. 21, 2015: Second egg laid
Feb. 25, 2105: Third egg appears
Mar. 28, 2015: First hatchling (D21) arrives
Mar. 29, 2015: Second eaglet (D22) hatches
Apr. 2, 2015: Third eaglet (D23) arrives
Status Updates from 2014
Feb. 23, 2014: First egg laid
Feb. 26, 2014: Second egg appears
Mar. 2, 2014: Third egg arrives
Apr. 2, 2014: First eaglet (D18) hatches
Apr. 3, 2014: Second hatchling (D19) arrives
Apr. 7, 2014: Third eaglet (D20) egg-scapes
Jun. 18, 2014: D18 & D19 fledge
Learn While You Watch
Not much happening in the nest? Take some time to read more about bald eagles, especially their nesting habits.
1. Bald eagles are solitary, but monogamous animals.
Although they spend winters and migrations alone, bald eagles maintain the same breeding pair year after year. If one dies, the survivor will find a new mate. The Decorah eagle pair has been together since the winter of 2007-08.
2. Bald eagles hold the Guinness World Record for building the largest bird’s nest.
The record nest measured over 9 feet wide and 20 feet deep, and was estimated to weigh more than 4,000 pounds. The Decorah nest is 5-6 feet across, about the same depth and weighs about 1½ tons. 3. The nest must be large and sturdy enough to hold the eaglets as they grow, and to handle the commotion as they learn to fly.
3. There are typically 1-3 eggs in a clutch.
The average clutch size is two, while four is considered rare. Bald eagles lay their eggs on a staggered schedule. As a result, the chicks hatch at different times, sometimes with a few days in between.
The eggs are incubated for about 35 days, a duty shared by both male and female eagles. During incubation, one of the parents is almost always on the nest. They do this to protect the eggs from predators and other threats.
4. Bald eagles clench their toes to avoid stabbing their eggs or eaglets with their sharp talons.
Bald eagles are very careful while moving around their nest, especially around their eggs and eaglets. Their talons are incredibly sharp, and could harm their young by accident. To prevent this, the eagles often clench their toes to hide their talons.
5. Eaglets practice flapping their wings for weeks before trying their first flight.
Bald eagles try their first flight 10-13 after hatching. The eaglets acquire flight feathers (known as fledging), and stay around the nest for an additional few months.
6. Bald eagles take their prey dead (carrion) or alive.
They feed primarily on fish, which is why their nests are typically near water. Bald eagles catch fish right off the water’s surface. Their food may include fish, birds, invertebrates, amphibians and more. Dead (carrion) or live prey are both acceptable to bald eagles. Occasionally they’ll wait for another eagle to catch a fish, and then try to steal it. Eagles feed their young by tearing food into small pieces, which eaglets take from their mother’s beak. After about five weeks, the eaglet is able to shred food on its own.
7. Approximately 50-70% of eaglets survive the first year of life.
Sometimes the last eaglet to hatch in a clutch is unable to compete with its siblings for food and doesn’t make it.
Bald Eagle Resources
- NWF Naturalist Answers Your Eagle Questions
- Learn more about bald eagles and the threats they face.
- Read an interview with the “father” of the Decorah Eagle Nest Cam.
- Frequently Asked Questions About the Eagle Cam
- Raptor Resource Project’s Blog
How to Help Bald Eagles
You can help efforts to protect the bald eagle and its habitat by symbolically adopting an eagle.
Adoption packages include a certificate, poster, bald eagle plush and more.
History of the Decorah Eagles
We here at the National Wildlife Federation have been following the Decorah Eagles and their clutches of eaglets since 2011. That year, and in 2012, we featured live footage of the Decorah Eagles in their Iowa nest. The pair of eagles typically lay eggs in February, and the first eaglets usually hatch in late-March or early-April. In 2013, the eagles constructed an alternate nest, and there was no opportunity for the Raptor Resource Project to install live cams. However, the Center did install cams in this second, alternate nest (known as N2) last October.
1. Provide Habitat for Wildlife
Salamanders, frogs, toads, box turtles, invertebrates and a number of other species rely on leaf litter. The leaves provide cover and nest materials for many species. Some animals are just too shy for heavily landscaped gardens.
2. Provide Nutrients for Organisms
Catering to the leaf litter helps maintain a healthy ecosystem in your yard. “Every resident of the leaf litter—or visitor to it—is connected to the food web in some way,” says Elizabeth Johnson, a program manager with the American Museum of Natural History’s Center for Biodiversity and Conservation. Birds will also feed on the seed heads and stalks of native flowers through winter.
3. Reduce Waste
Yard debris are taken to a landfill and dumped, where layers of waste stall the process of decomposition. The Environmental Protection Agency reported that in 2011, yard trimmings accounted for 13.5% of solid waste (approximately 33 million tons). Don’t let your leaves be wasted, they have critical benefits to wildlife and your garden.
4. Increase Fertility of Your Soil
As plant material decomposes, nutrients are added to your soil. Composting and leaf mold piles allow for even more nutrients to develop, which can then be added to your garden. Leaving leaves also allows for greater water retention.
5. Reduce Pollution
Leaf blowers pollute. The trucks that haul yard debris pollute. The fertilizers used in place of natural nutrients pollute. The eco-friendly methods to dispose of your Autumn leaves, however, will eliminate these sources of pollution. Laziness never felt so good.
6. Save Time
Imagine all the time you’ll save by not having to clear all the leaves from your yard. That time could be spent on other projects, like building an amphibian house, to still get active and relax outdoors. You don’t have to ditch the rake completely, you can use it to move leaves onto your flower beds or onto a compost or leaf mold pile.
How to Leave the Leaves
There is more than one way to ecologically handle leaves and other yard debris. Here are a few:
- Leaf Mold: This is one of the easiest things to do with your dead leaves. Basically, pile them in a corner of your yard and let them decompose over time. It’s different than composting (see below) in that it is only leaves, no additional organic matter is added. Leaf mold improves soil structure and water retention. Learn the details and make leaf mold in your yard.
- Composting: This practice reduces the amount of debris in landfills, while creating fertile new soil for your garden. Compost adds nutrients to your soil, and can be added to your garden in addition to the leaf mold. Learn how to compost with worms.
- Save Up: Store excess leaves in paper bags until the spring and summer, when you have limited access to carbon-rich organic materials for compost.
- Leave the Leaves: This can provide nutrients and protection to your garden. Plus, you have an excuse to avoid the work!
- Share Leaves: You have a lot of trees, and too many leaves? That’s a good problem to have. Your neighbors, local farms, schools, campuses and gardens will add your leaves to their leaf mold or compost pile.
- Build a Wildlife Brush Shelter: You can attract a variety of wildlife by creating a brush shelter. It’s easy to build and you’ll be supporting an abundance of wildlife in the process. Read more about the benefits of a brush shelter and how to build one.
- Make Decorations: Create beautiful Autumn decorations for natural materials, like leaves.
- Make Leaf Prints: Get some paint, collect your favorite leaves, and make leaf print arts and crafts.
- Play: Your yard full of leaves can become an Autumn obstacle course or playground. Just pile and jump!
Become a Wildlife Gardener with National Wildlife Federation. It’s free and you’ll get great wildlife gardening tips and learn how to certify your garden as an official habitat.
Learn More!
Find out more about the benefits of fallen leaves in our on Leave the Leaves content series:
- Seven Species That Need You to Leave the Leaves
- What to do With Fallen Leaves
- Why You Should Leave the Leaves
- Life in the Litter
- Pro-Tips for Leaving the Leaves
- Five Simple Ways to Create Habitat This Fall
- Video: Five Tips on Leaving the Fall Leaves
Nests
I’m fascinated with all types of bird nests, and frankly I’m jealous of their craft. A favorite of mine, and the impressive, are the weaver birds primarily found in Sub-Saharan Africa. They make stunning nests by weaving (surprising, I know) grass and plant pieces together. Typically the male constructs a nest in an attempt to woo the ladies. The better the builder, the better the chances of finding a mate. I’ve included a video so you can watch a weaver bird at work! The nests are incredible, and I wish a weaver bird would make me one for Easter. All the kids would be jealous of my fancy basket.
Eggs
Many bird species lay their eggs in Spring. Their eggs come in all colors and sizes, and are pretty awesome. Some species lay eggs in quick succession, while others stagger the laying over the course of a few days. Either way, the group of eggs is called a clutch, and can include anywhere from 1 to 18 eggs! Ostrich eggs are the largest, and are the size of a medium cantaloupe. The smallest egg is laid by a bee hummingbird and, fittingly, is about the size of a bee. In addition to decorating eggs, kids can learn about bird eggs using common fruits and vegetables as a comparison in this activity.
…And Chicks
I told a friend of mine about all the cool eggs I found for this post. Her reply was, “yes, but Easter isn’t about the eggs, it’s about the surprises you find inside.” That is absolutely true for nature as well (Note: please give chicks a few weeks to actually get cute). Here are a few cute chicks with eggs.
Fun for Kids and Grownups
I know that now you are so excited about bird’s nests and eggs, you’d like to celebrate. It’s your lucky day. These are crafts, recipes and activities designed with Easter and Spring in mind. Have fun. I will be making the bunny hard-boiled egg snack.
Make a Bird Nest You Can Eat – You can build robin nests that are good enough to eat!
Decorate a Flower Pot with Egg Shells – A fun way to recycle your leftover egg shells!
Hunt for Signs that Spring Is Coming – Go outdoors and track down evidence of the new season.
Bunny Hard-Boiled Egg Snack – This bunny hard-boiled egg will hop right into your tummy!
Hummingbirds are a definite favorite for so many North American wildlife gardeners, and after you voted last month these tiny wonders have a special place of honor during our Garden for Wildlife Month. There are eight species of hummingbirds that nest in the U.S. and about two dozen who live here or visit. For those in the eastern half of America, the Ruby Throat is what you will see. The West, particularly the Southwest, has many more species. Here are ten things about hummingbirds that are truly awesome.
1. Lightweights
The average Ruby-Throated Hummingbird weighs about 3 grams which is roughly the same as a penny. The Bee Hummingbird of Cuba is the smallest bird in the world and only measures in at around 2 inches and 1.5 grams. Hard to believe they are in the same family as the huge African Ostrich! My inner nerd calculated that it would take 30,000 Bee Hummingbirds to match a grown Ostrich’s weight.
2. Speedsters
Hummingbirds are small but they have blinding speed. Their wings flap 50 to 200 times per second. This is faster than any other bird species and, like most species, they speed up during times of courtship. Hummingbirds can fly 30 MPH in a straight line and dive bomb intruders at about 60 MPH.
3. World Travelers
The Rufous Hummingbird wins the distance competition with the longest migration of any hummingbird species at more than 3,000 miles from nesting grounds in Alaska and Canada to winter habitats in Mexico. Many Ruby-Throats make a 2,000 mile journey to Central America including, for some, an astounding 500 mile non-stop flight over the Gulf of Mexico
4. Aerial Acrobats
Watching a hummingbird in flight is an incredible treat. They are masters of amazingly quick starts and stops in any direction. Hummingbirds can even fly short distances upside down, a maneuver they often employ when being attacked by another bird. Their wings sweep in a figure 8 motion (shown in slow motion) while flying.
5. Tiny But Tough
These tiny little birds establish territories and will fight to keep others away. Hummingbirds will sometimes attack larger birds — even hawks or crows! And they are oh so bossy. Hummingbirds and make deep-throated guttural sounds mixed in with mouse-like chirps, squeaks and twitters.
6. Micro Parents
As “micro” birds, they use micro fibers in nesting. They make their nests from plant fibers, plant down, delicate mosses and even spider webs. Hummingbirds also lay the smallest eggs of all birds. They measure less than 1/2 inch long.
7. Brainiacs
A hummingbird’s brain is 4 percent of its body weight, but is proportionately the largest in the bird kingdom. Hummers have terrific memories and can remember where they found food from the previous year.
8. Fast Lane Livers
Hummingbirds are metabolic race cars. A hummingbird’s heart beats up to 1,260 times per minute and they take 250 breaths per minute.
9. Hungry, Oh So Hungry!
Hummingbirds eat every 10 minutes or so throughout the day. They are such active eaters that one may visit as many as 1,000 flowers daily. A hummingbird must consume approximately 1/2 of its weight in sugar daily. In some circumstances, a “hummer” can starve to death in a couple of hours. To make it through the night, they go into a suspended state called torpor – a state in which their metabolic rate is only one-fifteenth that of normal sleep.
10. Living Color
A hummingbird’s color does not really come from pigment. Instead it comes from iridescent qualities in its feathers. The light is reflected and a hummer’s bright colors wink on and off, depending on the light source and the angle of the observer. This allows birds to flash colors when it wants to show off or hide them.