Hello ScienceWorks friends!

We have baby hummingbirds!!

I am very pleased to report that our mother Anna’s Hummingbird has successfully nested at ScienceWorks!

Raising a brood of nestlings is a monumental task, but this mother Anna’s Hummingbird got it done!

Here (slide 2) she is feeding her chicks when they are between 7-10 days old. Both chicks have left the nest as of this post, with at least one of them still hanging around and being fed by the mom.

Here (slide 3) the 13-16 day old chicks beg for food then get a yummy bug/nectar slushy regurgitated into their mouths.

At 15-20 days (slide 4) the chicks barely still fit in the nest.

And by 21-25 days (slide 5) they can fly on their own and have left the nest! The bird on the right is the fledgling begging to be fed. Most baby birds, hummingbirds included, can’t fly until they are as large as their parents. 

I only found one of the fledglings, but the other one may be hiding somewhere else. This cute little guy (slide 6) was practicing using his bill and tongue on the tree’s flowers while waiting for mom to come back.

Slide 7 shows the nesting process from incubation to fledging. 

All photos copyright Nate Trimble unless otherwise credited.

Read about the mother Anna's Hummingbird in Nate's previous post here.

And don't forget to add your own bird sightings to the ScienceWorks eBird Hotspot!