Month: March 2014

Feb 23

Wind, Rain and Snow

I named Flower’s chicks Wind and Rain in honor of the rough weather in which they hatched. I hadn’t meant to follow that path for their names, but other people suggested it and it had crossed my mind, so that was that. We had snow today and by evening, some of it had started to stick around. I am always amazed at how fragile Wind and Rain look compared to how hardy they actually are. http://youtu.be/Xa9Zntbskp8    When they stretch out their necks to get the food sometimes you can see right through the skin and see Flowers beak in their gullet. You would think they would freeze, but Flower keeps them sheltered and warm by tucking them into her brooding patch when she sits on them. The brooding patch is a small bit of skin in the lower abdomen where the feathers fall off and many blood vessels bring warmth to the area for keeping chicks and eggs warm. Wind and Rain are not yet at the point where they can regulate their own body temperature. Until they open their eyes, they are dependent upon their mothers to keep them warm by cuddling them in a warm embrace. At this stage, they are about the size of a grape and it will be several more days before they open their eyes. That usually happens after about 10 days.  http://youtu.be/E3De8bYPGAo 

I used to get anxious when the weather was rough and the hummingbirds had nests, but after watching them for so long and seeing just how tough they are, I don’t worry much anymore. I have rarely seen a nest destroyed by wind or a set of eggs fall out of the nest. Luckily, all the nests I’m following right now are OK.

Rio’s Chicks, Dee Dee and Janeiro, have started to open their eyes and Rio leaves them uncovered for a bit longer as they are starting to regulate their own body temperatures. The two chicks in the nest help each other keep warm, but Rio still helps out by sitting on them. http://youtu.be/3n5_NSi8Bng 

 I think Ocean’s eggs may have hatched, but I haven’t been able to catch her feeding, just looking wistfully or lovingly into her nest as she arrives back from hunting, it’s hard to tell which.  http://youtu.be/wTBY5XCLYRY 

Gina is still perched high in the oak tree. She had to endure gusts up to 80 MPH the other night. She must have used a lot of spider webs to hold that nest to the branch. http://youtu.be/JJkoDT-fpy4 

The big challenge for mama hummingbirds at this time of the year is getting enough food for three. They have pretty simple demands in life. A few bugs to eat, some flowers, some sun once in a while and a great big sky to fly around in. Sometimes, when I watch the birds, I am reminded of just how comfortable we humans have made our own lives… and how complicated.

Eric

Feb 19 2014

Flowers chicks are probably wishing they had stayed a bit longer in their shells, given the cold temperatures and rainy weather. During the last week, the rain has turned the yard into a soggy mud puddle. Flower has rarely left the nest as she had to shelter her chicks and I have kept my distance so I don’t scare her off. Today was the first break in the weather and I saw her fly over the house so I took the opportunity to peek into her nest. Her chicks were wide awake and active. You can see in the video that they have their beaks open hoping to get some food. Their eyes won’t open for another week so being close to them doesn’t scare them as long as I am quiet. They are obviously healthy and doing well.      http://youtu.be/aKe8bjxjBSA

Other than the feeder which I keep well stocked with fresh sugar water, (4 water to 1 sugar ratio) Flower has to find fresh bugs for her chicks. She searches around the all the green plants like the cedar trees and ivy plants. She looks for little flies at this time of the year. There really isn’t much else and surprisingly, she finds enough to feed her two chicks every half hour or so, plus enough for herself too. Here is a look at her feeding the chicks just after I had a peek in the nest. It’s an amazing process to witness.   http://youtu.be/YU8cf6tI5zA

Eric

I’m very excited to be welcomed into the Pet Collective family. For the last five years I have been running a live nest cam and filming hummingbirds. During that time, I have filmed more than 50 hummingbird nests from egg to flight.

This year Flower showed up in my yard and laid eggs about February 1st. She built a nest in our California Lilac about 5 feet above the ground. I expect them to hatch around the 18th or as late as the 24th. It’s always exciting and beautiful to watch. After they hatch, Flower will be feeding her chicks about every 15-20 minutes and they will fly after about 20 to 25 days. I love watching the fledge. It’s wonderful to see a couple of chicks take flight for the first time and discover the world. The chicks usually stay around my yard for a couple of weeks and I get to watch them gain their independence. I usually follow the chicks during that time with my video camera and I have made wonderful discoveries about hummingbird behaviour by watching so closely. I have a huge treasure trove of video to show you.

In the coming months, you will see how a baby hummingbird transforms into that flying jewel that we all love. I’ll show you how they learn to hunt and eat, how they bath themselves and how they define their territory. And I won’t just be watching Flower…

Near my home in Victoria, BC is a place I call Hummingbird Hills where the Anna’s Hummingbirds stay all year. They start nesting in late December and stop around mid-August. During that time, I usually film and follow about 12 nests. Each nest shows me something different and my video and observations have been used to help hummingbird researchers from our local universities. We have made amazing discoveries which have never been documented before, like the multiple nests that each bird has over a season. Many have four nests overlapping in a year! Sometimes mama is taking care of two nests at a time. One will be ready to fly while the other is at the egg stage. I have also learned how to find their nests and how they define their territory.

Right now, I am watching five nests. Flower is in my yard on the live nestcam and in Hummingbird Hills, Rio has chicks in an ocean spray bush about 10 ft off the ground, Gina has her nest 100 feet away and about 50 ft up in an oak tree, Ocean has reclaimed her waterfront territory and is sitting on eggs in a yew tree about 15 ft off the ground and 50 feet away,and Shine has a nest with eggs in an Arbutus tree about 20 ft off the ground. Hercules and Romeo are the sires and they maintain their claim over their territory with constant bickering.

And let’s not forget that this is real life…

Currently, we are experiencing a patch of rough weather on the west coast. We have had freezing weather for the last two weeks which has given way to wind and rain. These are the hard times for the hummingbirds. Sometimes the storms claim victims but more often than not, I am amazed by the tenacity and durability of the hummingbirds and their nests. We recently had 50 mile per hour winds and none of the nests were damaged! When you think that the nests are built by tiny birds with spider webs and fluff on thin branches, it’s truly mind boggling.

Rio’s chicks hatched during sub-zero temperatures in early February! She must have laid her eggs in early January! There are amazing things that go on in Hummingbird Hills. I have even had the privilege of saving the lives of orphaned chicks.

Each year is a wonderful episode of hummingbird life.

Please join me as I go on an unpredictable and marvelous journey through Hummingbird Hills. It will be surprisingly beautiful.