Hummingbirds

The female picks out where to nest and may mate with more than one male. I have seen them fight, trying to stab others with their beaks. The female builds the nest, using spider webs, twigs, cottonwood silk, cat fur, and leaves. The nest is the size 1/2 of a tennis ball, with 2 or 3 tiny eggs, the size of a navy bean.  The eggs can be white, cream or pale blue. The female lays the eggs, she sits on the eggs, she feeds the babies. After 15 to 22 days, the eggs hatch. Ready to fly in 30 days. Then the female will feed them at least 1 more month. Hummingbirds can see red from miles away. Their song is VERY high pitch and squeaky! Hummers often return to the same place and even the same nesting area, year after year.  

These Humming birds are wild. They were flying by and the lady decided to try get them to feed them on her hand.   She taught them to land on the red bowl.  After a while, the Hummers learned to sit on her fingers.   

Hummers are the world's smallest birds, from 2¼ inches to 5 inches. They can fly up, down, sideways, and backwards. Many die during their first year, but usually live 3 or 4 years.  In cold weather, they go into a sleep mode. They look dead sitting on their branch, with their beak pointing up, they don't use up their energy, it keeps them from dying.

The 5 photos above are taken off of my Utah front porch. I just tied the feeder to the hand rail.

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