The female Antillean crested humming bird is quite plain looking when compared to the male who wears his crest like a king with his crown.
The eggs were the size of a lizard's egg.
The nest measures about 4cms in diameter with a depth around 3.5cms.
Yesterday I was walking by one of my mango trees when something caught my eye. I stopped and back peddled. At first glance it looked like a tree gall and on closer inspection I realized that it was a humming bird's nest with one tiny egg in it. Hummers always lay two eggs so I looked around and saw a tiny female of the Antillean crested humming bird nearby. The nest looked a bit different from the others I had seen before. It was so well camouflaged that it looked like part of the tree. I figured that she was not finished laying and I left. So today I went out to look for the nest and found the mother hummer sitting on the nest. She flew off as I got closer so I took a peek inside and there was another egg laid. A few years ago I did a post on another humming bird's nest I found in another mango tree. I will keep tabs on this nest and will keep you informed.
wonderful photos, thank you; I once spent forever trying to get a good shot of this tiny bird sitting on her nest!It's about the size of a coca cola cap isn't it? Amazing, Great post.
ReplyDeleteWOW, that is way cool! I wish we had more hummingbirds here but alas they only pass through at winter. I can't wait to see the babies! :)
ReplyDeleteHappy Gardening & best wishes,
Sheri
www.pompanobeachgardening.blogspot.com
Helen, this was a truly informative post.
ReplyDeleteYou should be working with one of those Wildlife magazines....great shots.
I had never seen a hummingbird nest, could not even imagine them keeping still long enough to lay an egg far less more!!
Amazing pictures. We don't have any humming birds in this part of the world. I can't believe that it is so small! I'm really looking forward to seeing picture of the young. I am also hoping that I will see a humming bird when we visit St Lucia!
ReplyDeleteComplimenti per le bellissime fotografie!! buona domenica...ciao
ReplyDeleteFantastic photos, Helen! We don't have hummers in our part of the world but sunbirds. They do resemble the hummers...but it's difficult to get these kind of shots. I loved them all!
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