Anna's Humming Bird

WHAT?
I was really surprised yesterday. As I looked out my living room window.
To my amazement, I see a humming bird building a nest. Right next to the window. Giving me a bird's eye view.
The humming bird was building it in a flowering bush called Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow.

The flowering bush is so named because of the three shades of color..The flowers on the bush start out purple the flowers will then fade to lavender and then to white. You will be able to see all three of these colors on the bush at one time. It really is quite pretty when in bloom.

I was surprised because it was still February and the air still some what chilly, when I first noticed her building the nest. There are barely any leaves on the bush and no flowers at all, and no buds in sight. I was excited however and looking forward to watching and waiting for the arrival of tiny little eggs and the wee chicks making their presence known as they break away from the delicate shell that encases them.

However, today I have not seen mama bird at all...Oh No! I hope she didn't see me .

Maybe she has abandoned her humble abode.

I had thought that the nest had been abandoned.
But, lo and behold, not so.
Mama bird did return to sit on the nest.

I have been waiting and watching everyday.

The two little's have hatched and will soon be leaving the nest.
They are just so tiny and cute.

I tried really hard to get a picture of the baby hummingbirds in the nest,
however, since there is now bird poop all over the window it is impossible.
I won't be able to clean the window now until they fly away.

After having watched the video provided entitled " HUMMINGBIRD NEST " I can see and now understand. It seems the Hummingbirds actually are able to raise their bottoms and shoot the poop out od and away from the nest.

And now there will soon be eggs in the other nest,,

Native to the West Coast of North America these are called Anna's Hummingbirds.

The Humming Birds in my area do not migrate. That being the case we see hummning birds pretty much year round.

If you set out a Humming bird feeder you will see them visit daily.

All that is needed is to hang the feeder and fill it with one part sugar to four parts part water.

There have been rumors going around for years now, that red dye is harmful to hummingbirds. I have been checking around surfing the net and so far have found many pro's and cons in the matter. Some say yes some say no. So I think I will play on the safe side and leave the coloring off. Hummingbirds seem to love the sugar water just the way it is. Having said that it is really up to the individual to decide whether to use it or not.

It is important, however, to keep the feeder clean, so as not to get bacteria.

They are fun to watch and will visit the feeder quite often.

Oh my, now there are two nest in the same bush.

It seems this bush is turning into a Humming bird condo.

Also as I headed out to the back yard today to water the Avocado tree an Hummingbird kept buzzing around my head.. I am sure she was trying to scare me away from the tree where she has most likely built her nest. The hovering sound of the hummingbird next to my ear is indeed a frightening sound to me.

This must definitely be mating season for the Hummingbird's in my area..Love is in the air. And so is spring.

Although hummingbirds are attracted to the color red they also like a variety of other flowering plants.

They love Bee Balm which is red, but also comes in pink and lavender colors as well. A pretty flower in the garden.

Another favorite of the humming bird is Delphinium and Hollyhock, both come in a variety of colors.

The Butterfly Bush. I prefer the deep purple. But it also comes in white and pink.You can attract butterflies as well as hummingbirds.

The Trumpet vine and the Japanese Honeysuckle are a just a few more favorites.

Honey suckles and Trumpet Vines also can be found in red, white, pink, yellow and orange.

I love the smell of honeysuckle, maybe hummingbirds do too.

I also see them hovering over my Rose bushes. I think anything that has nectar is sure to please and attract many Hummingbirds to the garden.

Here are just a few interesting facts that I have found out about Hummingbirds

Hummingbird's are beautiful with their colorful bodies of iridescent feathers. Ruby reds, emerald greens and brilliant oranges are just some of the colors of hummingbirds

Although a hummingbird's heart is as tiny as a pencil eraser, the hummingbirds heart beats ten times per second.

They flap their wings about eighty times per second

There are more than three hundred species of them and each one visits a thousand flowers a day.The diet of the Hummingbird is primarily nectar from flowers, sap from trees, Pollen and insects.

They can fly more than five hundred miles without resting and they can fly backwards..(must be all that sugar they consume).

They can fly in in direction.Left, right, up, down, backwards and even upside down..Amazing

Most species measure 7.5 to 13 centimeters.

The lifespan of a hummingbird averages about five years