Hummingbird family settles down on Mutual 14 patio

WILDLIFE

Ahummingbird has made its nest atop a holiday light on the porch of Judith Schroeder’s unit in Mutual 14.

The nest currently holds two pre-flight fledglings, who happily receive feedings throughout the day from their mother.

Black-chinned hummingbirds lay small white eggs, which incubate for only 13 to 16 days.

The fledgling birds typically take their first flight when they are only 20 days old. A mother hummingbird will usually have one or two broods per year, sometimes three.

Their nests, which are built by the females, are a compact cup made from grasses, plant fibers and spider webs, lined with plant down. The exterior of the nest is typically camouflaged with lichens, dead leaves and other debris.

Black-chinned hummingbirds live in semiarid country, river groves and suburbs. According to the National Audubon Society, the hummingbird breeds in many kinds of semi-open habitats in the lowlands, including streamsides, towns, brushy areas, oak groves in canyons, and, apparently, in temperate senior communities.

In the southwest, the birds avoid most open desert but may be found along dense washes or desert rivers. After breeding, they may move to higher elevations in the mountains. Their diet is mostly made up of nectar from flowers, as well as small insects.

—Donna Gambol

A bird nest holds two pre-flight hummingbird fledglings.

Donna Gambol

A mother hummingbird feeds thetwo fledglings.Donna Gambol