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Calypte anna
This green hummingbird has a red patch on the throat. It was building a new nest. This series shows it with material in its mouth (unknown fluff and lichen) as well as taking a quick rest. "Anna’s hummingbird females build a mere platform as early as December to lay her eggs. Then she builds up the nest while incubating." - Hal Harrison
Oak scrub bush along trail at Blue Sky Ecological Reserve
"The female bird builds a large nest in a shrub or tree, or in vines or on wires. The round, 3.8-to-5.1-centimetre (1.5 to 2.0 in) diameter nest is built of very small twigs, lichen and other mosses, and often lined with downy feathers or animal hair. The nest materials are bound together with spider silk or other sticky materials. They are known to nest early as mid-December and as late as June." - Wikipedia
So well it's not like the Blackbirds then. We have lots of male blackbirds here. Some spotters from Florida have a concentration on female. i just read a report which said that the female and male migrate at different times.
They're quite active down here too! I already have both male and female spottings of this species but I couldn't resist the spottings on the nest!
Cindy,both your spottings are females! Bring your camera here. We have so many male Annas perched right on top of trees making there grinding Chiang sounds!
Hi Leuba, part two is at http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/895.... It's from a different area but it's the same species.
It was total luck on this one. There's no way I would have seen this nest if I hadn't seen the hummingbird fly into the bush. My other hummingbird on a nest spotting was much easier since I saw the nest on bare branches before the leaves came in. I just went back a week later and saw a bird was occupying it.
Thank you! Yes it was difficult to shoot with the bad lighting and I had to balance up on an embankment but well worth it.
How lucky to see the construction of a nest, now you can wait and watch the birth of the little ones. Keep us updated please!
You are so lucky to have all those hummingbirds there. Nice set of pics CBK.