hummingbird nest outside my front door

[amanda hor$t]

the thing is the size of a shot glass. and it's not even a real tree, i have a potted plant outside my front door

at first i thought it was a single bird, but then i noticed a baby inside! been recording for 3 hours now, tried ustream but it keeps crashing.



anyway, i've set up the webcam and still recording.



the bird leaves and comes back every 30 minutes or so. and then it wiggles like a competitive eater at a hot dog eating contest

[GarySL]

Nice, a blessing to your house, for sure. Any images of the attending adult?

[amanda hor$t]

just caught a screenshot during feeding time. there's at least 2 babies in there.



here's a 1min video: http://louisredfoot.tumblr.com/post/...y-theres-a-few

something else interesting is the white stuff lining the nest. i see the bird flying around here, and there's no cotton in my yard.

[GarySL]

Originally Posted by R Grubba Balls

...Something else interesting is the white stuff lining the nest. i see the bird flying around here, and there's no cotton in my yard.

Can't quite make out the adult (my guess it's an Allen's or Anna's). You're in coastal So Cal? The white lining could be dryer lint, willow seed hairs all wove in with spider web silk. So cool, thanks for sharing.

[amanda hor$t]

Originally Posted by GarySL

Can't quite make out the adult (my guess it's an Allen's or Anna's). You're in coastal So Cal? The white lining could be dryer lint, willow seed hairs all wove in with spider web silk. So cool, thanks for sharing.

i'm near the rose bowl. there are 2 large parks (the l.a. arboretum and a city park) nearby, closest beach is about 35 miles west.

any idea how long it'll take before they all grow up and fly away? for now i've blocked off the entrance and have all my stuff set up recording nonstop. the nest seems to be doing fine, so i'm just an observer. i'd probably mess it up if i actually tried to "help"

edit: apparently about 3 weeks according to ehow. so we're looking at about 1tb worth of recording. i have a 1080p webcam tied to an old lampstick that's set about a foot away from the action.

[CJ421]

Just too cool, thanks for sharing. I think hummingbirds are some of nature's finest. Here's some shots in my garden a few years ago, I was lucky to have the camera handy. These birds show up and disappear almost instantly.

I actually had one fly into and get trapped in my house last year; five frantic minutes of running around trying to catch it, it finally got tired and landed on a broom I held up - walked it to the door and off it went. They make the oddest chirping noises.

[954Stealth]

Are you doing a Big Year?

[amanda hor$t]

Originally Posted by 954Stealth

Are you doing a Big Year?

just a logitech c920 webcam. ustream sucks.

[RandomHero]

If you want to keep them around, invest in a bird feeder. My folks have one right in front of the kitchen sink window. Super easy to maintain too. 2 weeks ago we counted 7 of them around the house at once. Some of them got so fat/lazy that they would actually stop flying when they fed. I had never seen that before.

[shah269]

VERY VERY VERY good karma. Help the old girl out and buy her a feeder!
http://www.thegardengates.com/data/d...007-2-3689.jpg

[amanda hor$t]

Originally Posted by shah269

VERY VERY VERY good karma. Help the old girl out and buy her a feeder!
http://www.thegardengates.com/data/d...007-2-3689.jpg

i'll check out home depot. meanwhile, looks like it could rain today. put up an umbrella and saran wrapped the usb/extension socket. should probably cover the webcam with a ziploc also, though that would decrease the video quality.

[amanda hor$t]

got a feeder and a jar of nectar at petsmart today. looks like it might have been used already. looks like a glass of newcastle lol

[GarySL]

^Nice, the red dye isn't necessary (just sugar:water=1:4). The important part is frequent cleaning (don't let it mold) & give it a thorough diluted beach soak (rinse out thoroughly afterwards) every other sugar water filing. Now try and photograph the adult if it visits the feeder. g/l

[PINeely]

That's super cool. I found one in one of my azalea bushes a few years ago; it was only about an inch across. The birds still come to my feeder too!

When the babies fledge you should save the nest and measure it.

[passing]

awesome stuff. lots of these guys in the summer time...

cant have a feeder though because the bears want some of it.

[JLed79]

Very very cool man. Definitely keep the feeder clean and stocked. Thanks for sharing!