Comments on: That's right, baby hummingbirds

That's right, baby hummingbirds

mudpuppie — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 11:54:23 -0800

An Anna's hummingbird on a tiny nest, smaller than an ivy leaf, with two hatchlings therein. Watch it live.

Bonus bit of trivia: Baby hummingbirds have short, stubby, yellow beaks. The babies can double in size each day. As they grow, and move closer to being able to feed on their own, their nectar-friendly beaks grow as well. Bonus, bonus trivia.

By: mudpuppie

mudpuppie — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 11:54:42 -0800

The wind has picked up over the past hour, unfortunately.

By: shakespeherian

shakespeherian — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 11:57:18 -0800

The babies can double in size each day. Holy jeez.

By: Artw

Artw — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 11:59:26 -0800

Awwww...

By: annsunny

annsunny — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 12:06:06 -0800

I love that they use spider webs to construct the nests. It allows for expansion. I saw one last summer plucking at a spider's web last Summer! Hummingbirds are such fierce sassy little things.

By: Nomyte

Nomyte — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 12:07:04 -0800

Note: This webcam is rigged to a leafblower that blows harder when the webcam detects additional viewers.

By: Faint of Butt

Faint of Butt — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 12:15:29 -0800

It's very windy, but Mama's holding on.

By: elizardbits

elizardbits — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 12:20:50 -0800

I am sad that my impatience/crappy attention span will prolly prevent me from seeing tiny birdies doing tiny birdy things. otoh the decorah eagle cam has itty bitty fledges! eeeeeee!

By: DaddyNewt

DaddyNewt — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 12:23:49 -0800

This should definitely be tweeted. Definitely.

By: shakespeherian

shakespeherian — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 12:24:04 -0800

Don't introduce the eagle cam in the hummingbird cam thread. I don't want the hummingbird cam to get nommed.

By: mudpuppie

mudpuppie — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 12:24:49 -0800

otoh the decorah eagle cam has itty bitty fledges! eeeeeee! Decorah Eagle Cam.

By: JHarris

JHarris — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 12:25:26 -0800

Awww, cute wee birdy! What a charmi-- GET OFF MY SCREEN IDIOTIC TALKING TOILET ADVERTISEMENT THAT I CAN'T SKIP FOR THIRTY-SEVEN FUCKING SECONDS

By: Cool Papa Bell

Cool Papa Bell — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 12:25:39 -0800

Watching this, I immediately want to drive to Canada and erect a windscreen.

By: cookie-k

cookie-k — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 12:26:13 -0800

They're mean-ass little shits. Territorial as all hell, will chase off their own kids from a feeder. Mean, mean. And they'll come and stare at you, like they're thinking of taking YOU out, too. I took the feeder down last year, and I don't plan to encourage anybody isn't big enough to eat a japanese beetle. Cute vids and live cams are the way to go, you wanna see hummers, otherwise the little basterds'll break your heart.

By: EmpressCallipygos

EmpressCallipygos — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 12:27:07 -0800

Elizardbits, the Penguin Cam may be a bit more active avian life for you.

By: Cool Papa Bell

Cool Papa Bell — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 12:29:38 -0800

The difference between the hummingbird cam and the eagle cam is hilarious. Hummingbird: "OK, got a good thing going here. Gotta relax. Relax. Slow down. Whoa, wind! Wind! WIND! OK, relax. Slow. Slow. It's OK, it's OK." Eagle: "WHAT'S THAT? SQUIRREL? ARE YOU LOOKING AT ME? HUH? STEP OFF, BITCH. I WILL FUCKING DESTROY YOU. YEAH, THAT'S WHAT I THOUGHT. RUN HOME TO THE KEEBLER ELVES BEFORE I TURN YOU INTO NICE PAIR OF HAND MUFFS."

By: nickyskye

nickyskye — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 12:30:31 -0800

Omg, bliss!

By: annsunny

annsunny — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 12:30:49 -0800

Oh, and the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum has a walk-in hummingbird aviary! My favorite thing ever at a zoo!!! It might be a nightmare for you, cookie-k.

By: Cool Papa Bell

Cool Papa Bell — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 12:32:19 -0800

Penguin: "Herring? Herring? Better check with Dave. Dave? Herring? Herring, Dave? No. OK. Any herring? Anybody got a herring? Herring? Herring?"

By: heyho

heyho — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 12:33:00 -0800

Oh man, it's sort of hard to watch them sway in the wind when she flies away. Also when she returns to stab food down their throats. Yikes. Don't puncture the baby!

By: nickyskye

nickyskye — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 12:34:49 -0800

Oh shit the decorah eagles AND the itty bitty fairy hummingbirds both are hunkering down in the intense winds. Sending protective thoughts!

By: elizardbits

elizardbits — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 12:38:54 -0800

OMG THEY ARE SO TINY. Like so ridiculously tiny that using allcaps to say they are so tiny seems really illogical but still SO TINY.

By: palmcorder_yajna

palmcorder_yajna — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 12:46:17 -0800

The babies are so still while mamma's away. They just look like little wads of lint!

By: shakespeherian

shakespeherian — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 12:51:23 -0800

SO TINY

By: JHarris

JHarris — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 12:51:41 -0800

Like so ridiculously tiny that using allcaps to say they are so tiny seems really illogical but still SO TINY. SOOOOOO TINY

By: JHarris

JHarris — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 12:52:15 -0800

DAMMIT SHAKESPEHERIAN

By: nickyskye

nickyskye — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 12:52:43 -0800

Yeah, in this thread tiny writing is needed to talk about the tiny birds.

By: shakespeherian

shakespeherian — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 12:53:36 -0800

Metafilter: DAMMIT SHAKESPEHERIAN

By: JHarris

JHarris — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 12:59:39 -0800

There's so much wind that I feel apprehensive when the mother is on the nest. I don't like to think about what would happen if a good gust blows up when she's away.

By: IAmBroom

IAmBroom — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 13:02:01 -0800

OMGThisIsEXACTLYWhatTheWebWasMadeForAndDon'tEvenTryToDenyIt!!!!! (Bonus: I saw the worlds fastest moth today scoot about 40' today, while walking my dog. Took me a few seconds to register that it was a hummingbird.) (Bonus bonus: at a 100yo's birthday party, a hummingbird flew in front of my face, hovered to check me out for two seconds, and flew off. I looked at my girlfriend, whose eyes confirmed that I wasn't going mad.)

By: jamaro

jamaro — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 13:07:12 -0800

The bush right outside my patio door is now on its third year of hosting an Anna's nest. The nest is reused every year (I assume by the same bird but am not sure. Also, the branch the nest is built on has been dead for two years but I refuse to cut it off) and she just adds another cup on top along with fresh spider webs and bits of lichen around the sides. Mom is utterly fearless: the nest is less than a foot from a heavily traveled doorway and she'll just sit there and give you tiny birdy stinkeye if you look her way. I know when the eggs have hatched because the mother bird starts flying nearly nonstop from dawn to dusk, returning to the nest every few minutes to feed the babies. The sound she makes as she returns sounds like BRUUUMMMMMM! Pip! Pip! Pip! The babies are awesome: they grow as big as the nest cup so they stack up two deep, taking turns being the bottom bird. When they get closer to fledging, they stand on the rim of the nest and furiously flap, lifting up the top edge of the nest with them. Eventually one lets go and ascends straight up, then the other fledgling does the same and the nest is empty again until the next spring.

By: TheWhiteSkull

TheWhiteSkull — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 13:14:25 -0800

Well, one of the baby eagles just answered the question as to why birds' nests aren't completely filled with poop.

By: stormpooper

stormpooper — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 13:17:28 -0800

Clicked watch...saw cute mamma hummingbird, then a big loud ad destroyed the peaceful image. Fucking ads. boo.

By: RolandOfEld

RolandOfEld — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 13:24:43 -0800

Well I'm not getting anything else done for the last 30 mins of work today.

By: CaseyB

CaseyB — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 13:25:32 -0800

How I know that the internet has ruined me: 10 seconds in, I tried to make the Wadsworth jump to get to the interesting part. Hummingbirds are no longer fast-paced enough to occupy my attention.

By: mudpuppie

mudpuppie — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 13:28:15 -0800

Ad blocker, surprisingly, blocks the big loud ad.

By: RolandOfEld

RolandOfEld — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 13:29:29 -0800

Ok, just saw a hummingbird mamma feeding its young, i'm turning it off, i'm done, too much, not ok....

By: wreckingball

wreckingball — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 13:30:46 -0800

Hmm. This just says "bird Internet."

By: bstreep

bstreep — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 13:32:28 -0800

Wow. Baby hummingbirds are apparently the sword-swallowers of the animal kingdom!

By: aubilenon

aubilenon — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 13:33:53 -0800

Now there's a leaf or something in front of the camera. I guess hummingbirds need privacy sometimes too.

By: RolandOfEld

RolandOfEld — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 13:33:56 -0800

Yep, I thought the same thing and that's where I quit watching. Mamma isn't very gentle with her sword swallowing apprentices.... no wonder they're so mean and angry later in life....

By: rtha

rtha — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 13:40:18 -0800

There have got to be at least two hummingbird nests in the backyards on our block, judging by the territorial behaviors of the males I've seen. I don't wear red t-shirts in the backyard anymore because hummingbirds come and hover and ask if I'm food. For your other bird cam needs: San Jose (CA) peregrine cam, currently with sleeping fuzzy baby peregrines! And San Francisco peregrines, current status: eating lunch.

By: Salmonberry

Salmonberry — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 13:44:22 -0800

I have a hummingbird feeder in front of the house, near the door. We like putting it there because it turns our house into THE DANGER ZONE. A male rufous will dive bomb and buzz us as we get our keys out to go inside. His feeder. HIS. You can imagine what happens when I go out to change it. So grumpy, so tiny. I love them.

By: oneirodynia

oneirodynia — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 13:48:09 -0800

I think if that had been my bit of ivy I would have tried to figure out a way to shelter it. Most of the hummingbird nests I've seen have been in relatively sheltered or on relatively stable places- they used to build nests on the staked vines in the nursery I worked at, often on the flat top of the 1X1 stake. I hope the little ones will be able to avoid falling out when they get larger. I'm sure birds generally know what they're doing re: nest building, but sometimes plants grow and vines fall down. From what I understand, hummingbirds need nest sites that stay below 96 degrees F and are out of the wind. :/

By: oneirodynia

oneirodynia — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 13:49:18 -0800

... and now I wonder if this nest was exposed for the camera.

By: Gator

Gator — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 13:59:01 -0800

♪♫ When the wind blows, the cradle will rock... ♫♪

By: Iosephus

Iosephus — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 14:02:28 -0800

About the peregrines, I didn't know birds were able to sleep on their side. Man, I could use a nap too.

By: mule98J

mule98J — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 14:05:57 -0800

Awwww... We have honeysuckles and a couple other similar flowers in our back yard. Hummers love it. We love hummers.

By: cooker girl

cooker girl — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 14:17:16 -0800

EEEEeeeeeee! I just saw three eagle fledglings and teeny tiny itty bitty baby hummingbirds (thanks for flying away, mama bird!)!!!! My day is complete.

By: rtha

rtha — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 14:28:34 -0800

It's disconcerting to watch an adult hummingbird feed the babies. It looks like some sort of sword-swallowing stunt!

By: nickyskye

nickyskye — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 14:41:47 -0800

Growing up is hard to do. Being a good parent is awesome, an art. This post is prompting contemplative thoughts about life. My favorite rescued hummingbird vid. Hand feeding hummingbirds. Spring 2012 Migration of Ruby-throated Hummingbirds

By: annsunny

annsunny — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 14:42:55 -0800

For those of you worried about the sword-swallowing technique, it's just the momma bird making sure the food goes into their gullet, not the windpipe.

By: Splunge

Splunge — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 14:45:37 -0800

I went to the site to watch and she flew away. So I left. I didn't mean to scare her.

By: louche mustachio

louche mustachio — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 15:41:17 -0800

I went to the site - saw the behbehs (tiny!) Saw them being fed (scary!) And am now watching mama sitting on the nest, bobbing up and down in the wind, thinking M-------------------h----------e---b--------nes--------w---------------. -a-----------------s--o--------v----u------------t------e---h----------s ---a----------I--------u------a------i-----------------m-----e---------l -----y---e--------------l-----h-------l-----y--------o---------r-------e -------b-----------------d-------------t--m-------s------------e-----

By: caryatid

caryatid — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 15:50:40 -0800

Great Blue Heron Nest

By: JiBB

JiBB — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 16:05:25 -0800

If nothing's happening live, here are few screenshots of the chicks alone in the nest, being fed, and with the mother sitting on the nest again.

By: Katjusa Roquette

Katjusa Roquette — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 17:33:40 -0800

Is this site Flash? Cuz I get nothing! :( <3 hummingbirds!

By: holgate

holgate — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 20:48:20 -0800

The little buggers haven't made their way back to our feeders yet. As someone who spent his first full summer watching them last year, I will never cease to be enraptured by them.

By: Goofyy

Goofyy — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 08:44:30 -0800

Thanks for the herons! I have lots of herons around here in Switzerland. To my surprise, I caught one on video, eating a rat or something about that size, in a pasture. I'm used to seeing them fishing in the rivers here.