Nesting success turns property into a bird’s paradise

I spend a lot of time improving the habitat on my 30-acre lake property, to provide nesting opportunities for as many bird species as possible. For example, I put up a great horned owl nesting platform, and lo and behold, a pair of great horned owls has nested on it twice in the past three years.

I have put up dozens of bluebird nest boxes, which attract not only eastern bluebirds but also house wrens, tree swallows, and even a great crested flycatcher. I leave dead trees standing so woodpeckers can excavate cavities to raise their young.

Over the years, I have planted many kinds of trees to provide nesting opportunities for a wide variety of bird species. So, last month, I was thrilled beyond belief when we spotted a female ruby-throated hummingbird and her tiny nest on a limb of one of my crabapple trees. It was in a perfect location, allowing me to set up and capture some images while studying her nesting behaviors.

The ruby-throated hummingbird (Archilochus colubris) is the only species of hummingbird that nests in the eastern half of the country. The male and female have separate territories. After mating, the female claims a territory and begins constructing a nest. She uses soft plant materials such as cattail down from last year’s seed heads, binding them together with spider silk. This allows the nest to be flexible because when she constructs it, the nest fits her body – a single adult-size hummingbird. However, the female always lays two eggs, and the chicks grow to full size before leaving the nest. This means the nest needs to expand to accommodate two adult-size birds, and the spider silk allows it to do so.

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The nest was located about 12 feet above the ground. The best images and video are captured when the photographer is at eye level, so I needed to get myself 12 feet in the air. Fortunately, I had purchased a couple of sections of scaffolding and was ready for this moment. I use the scaffolding to make a platform to film my great horned owl nest, so the scaffolding will work for this nest as well.

I waited until the female was out feeding to set up the scaffolding. Two sections of scaffolding got me 12 feet high on a stable, flat wooden platform. Once it was set up, I covered it in camouflage fabric and netting so I could come and go from this elevated blind without disturbing the nesting female. First, I captured images of the female incubating the eggs.

After 12 days, the eggs hatched. The female would sit on the babies, keeping them warm, then go off to feed. She would fly back to the nest, and the two tiny babies would lift their heads and open their beaks, begging for food. The female would insert her beak deep into the babies’ open mouths and regurgitate the nectar and insect brew. She would go back and forth between the two babies until they were satisfied, then sit on them to keep them warm. Meanwhile, I was perched on top of a 12-foot scaffolding, swaying in the wind, capturing images and video of these remarkable encounters.

The babies grew very quickly, and soon their eyes were open, and feathers started to appear on the tiny hummers. The mother would go off to eat insects and nectar, coming to the nest only about once per hour. This meant that I would spend 4 to 6 hours a day perched 12 feet in the air, waiting for any opportunity to film the bird’s behaviors. During these half-day morning sessions, she would visit the nest about 4 to 6 times. Each visit lasted less than a minute. If I missed the feeding or my camera couldn’t capture focus, I would have to wait another hour for my next opportunity.

This went on for almost two weeks until the chicks were fully grown. I had a chance to film the youngsters practicing flapping their wings at the edge of the nest. Then, at just 18 or 19 days old, the young took their first flight and left the nest. After leaving the nest, they didn’t return. Overall, it was an amazing experience and made me happy that I put in the effort to improve the natural habitat in my own yard. Until next time …

Editor’s note: Stan Tekiela’s NatureSmart column appears twice a month in the Eden Prairie Local News. Tekiela is an author, naturalist, and wildlife photographer who travels extensively across the United States to study and capture wildlife images.

You can follow his work on Instagram and Facebook. He can be contacted via his website at www.naturesmart.com.