A female Anna’s Hummingbird rests in her nest outside our house. Woven from moss, feathers, and soft plant material, held together with spider silk, and decorated with bits of lichen for camouflage, a hummingbird can take upwards of a thousand trips to craft her inch-wide nest. Weighing just 1-2 grams (less than a dime!), the nest is a delicate work of art that blends in beautifully with its surroundings.
We were fortunate enough to watch the whole process unfold, followed by the laying of two eggs, which later hatched into little chicks. Momma, or ‘Kiki,’ as we called her, was busy keeping them warm and making trips to our feeders for food nearby. We were a bit worried for her, though, as the nest, albeit sheltered, was built on a branch at eye level along a fairly busy sidewalk.
Thanks to her expert camouflaging work, most people walked right by without noticing. However, the odd, keen-eyed person stopped for a quick glimpse, and eventually, more and more people started catching on. It warmed our hearts when the city later closed the sidewalk and paused the planned paving nearby after learning about the nest. There might still be some hope for humanity after all!
Now that the chicks have fledged, we can only hope they decide to call our yard home so we have a chance to watch it all unfold again next year 🥰