I was looking out the window at work yesterday. I spotted a female Broad-tailed Hummingbird fly into a ponderosa pine and land in a nest. I meant to bring my camera to work today, but forgot. I borrowed a much better camera and took several photos. This is the best, although I had to angle through a window so it’s not terribly sharp.
The nest is made of spider webs and gossamer (which is just another word for fine spider webs). The hummingbird then covers the outside with lichen, moss, and bits of tree bark to hide it. I think this one is still sitting on eggs. When the young hatch and grow, the nest actually expands until it looks more like a dish.
As I was walking away, I heard a bit of a commotion behind me. I turned and saw the resident Sharp-shinned Hawk perched on the railing about 20 feet away.
It stayed about 10 seconds. I happened to take a photos just as it took off.
