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Even though I have spent hours searching for hummingbird nests I have personally never found one. They are so camouflaged and tiny that they blend in with their surroundings. Built by the female, the nest is a small little cup of grasses, spider webs and plant fibers lined with plant down. Mom fastens lichens to the nest and branch to disguise it. As a result, they are very hard to see.

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David Brislance, a friend of mine found this one the first week of July a few years ago. Together we spent several days photographing it. Here the babies see mom coming in from above.

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The mom feeds the babies about every half hour. If you look closely you can see her tongue sticking out.

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The eggs are the size of a pea so you can imagine how small this nest is.

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Mom sticks her beak down the baby’s throat to give it nourishment.

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I can’t imagine that long beak going down your throat.

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It was such a joy to watch the babies getting fed.

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This was one of my favorite images.

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Soon the babies grew out of house and home and flew off. Since the nest is held together with spider silk it can actually expand to accommodate the growing babies. Creation is so amazing. A hummingbird’s wings can beat over 50 times per second.

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