Two friends recently traveled to Ecuador on a 5-day birding trip, where they tallied 275 species, including 41 different hummingbirds. Here in New Hampshire we have just one species, the ruby-throated. We cherish this little beauty, especially when it visits our summer gardens and nests somewhere in nearby trees. We see them zoom here and there but never track their visits to a nest.
A few days ago I was looking at a mature red oak tree in our backyard and thought I spotted a tiny nest. With leaves mostly gone from hardwood trees and shrubs in winter, it is fun to spot bird nests and ponder which bird built the nest. Clues include nest size, materials used to build the nest, height above ground, and how the nest is situated on a branch.
This afternoon, after Henna and I finished a 3 mile road walk, she wanted to spend some time in the pen in the backyard. We entered from the back and there on the ground under the mature oak tree was the tiny nest. It is the cutest of nests, about 1.5 inches across and an inch deep, made of cattail fluff on the inside and tree lichens on the outside plastered like icing on a cake. The nest is the same size as a pecan tassie or a mini muffin.
Today's treasure in our yard.
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