A March 2 story in the West Seattle Blog caught my attention: a female Anna’s hummingbird had built a nest on a cross-beam of the shade structure at the West Seattle Nursery and laid two eggs (see West Seattle Birds: Nesting Time!).

It was still quite cool and rainy here, so I was surprised to learn that nesting season was already in progress. I resolved to pay her a visit at my next acupuncture appointment, which is across the street from the nursery.

PRIME REAL ESTATE

Upon arrival, rather than ask someone, I decided to see if I could figure out where the nest was on my own. I found it, and Mama Hummingbird came back from foraging a minute later. To my surprise, Mama had built it right next to the main pathway to the inside checkout register. A very high traffic area indeed, but the nest was high enough that no one would be able to touch it without a ladder. It also offered the additional protection of a canopy to keep the rain off. She chose well.

 And I might note, she also chose to trust people, something that the West Seattle Nursery honored by educating themselves on hummingbird needs and habitat, ensuring she had easy access to a feeder, plenty of water sources, and passing information along to the visiting general public. Mama Hummingbird had a village to support her and her chicks!

I asked Mama Hummingbird for permission to take a few photos, and she granted my request. 

As I clicked away, I praised her for her wisdom in choosing the garden nursery as the territory for her chicks. A bountiful source for nectar and insects! And the nursery deals in plants grown without pesticides, so the food sources should be safe ones.

As I framed a shot, I realized that Mama Hummingbird was a genius for another reason: the nest was directly above one of the Edison bulbs used for decorative lighting. The nest had its own heat source for when Mama was not there to cover the eggs! Females raise the chicks on their own, so a little extra warmth would be a bonus for their development.

A passing employee happily shared that the eggs had been laid 14 days or so before, and they had just hatched yesterday! Wow! A little research revealed that Anna’s hummingbirds can nest from December through May. December!? Mad respect for these brave birds who choose to overwinter in the Pacific Northwest.

The newly hatched chicks were very tiny and not yet large enough to raise their beaks out of the nest for a photo, but I was able to watch Mama dip her beak down into the nest to feed them. I am already planning a return visit to check up on the progress of this wonderful family. Stay tuned!

TWO WEEKS LATER

I returned on March 20 to see how the family was doing. When I arrived, the babies were resting, and I noticed how much they had grown. Last time, their beaks did not even reach the top of the nest. Mama was off gathering food. I was fortunate to witness her triumphant return and feeding of the babies. Such excitement!

Mama is taking very good care of them, and the babies are doing quite well.

I saw a video posted a week after my photos (below), and the babies had doubled in size! They were sitting more on top of the nest than in it, and spilling out over the sides. One enterprising youngster was exercising his/her wings. I will not be able to return until April 2. I suspect the babies may be out and about by then!

APRIL 2

When I arrived at West Seattle Nursery, the first thing I did was check the nest. As expected, it was empty. I hailed an employee who was delighted to bring me up to speed on the latest chapter in the Hummingbird Family Drama. She pointed to a flowering shrub right next to us, where a young hummingbird was sitting quietly, observing all the people passing by. She was so close I could have reached out and touched her. As if picking up on my thoughts, my guide said, “See, they are so used to us that you could touch them,” while using her finger to demonstrate. It happened so quickly that I did not have time to say, “Please don’t, we carry so many diseases that could be transmitted to her (and with bird flu, the reverse is possible, too).” The youngster was unfazed—her trust was also a gift—a gift that, tempting as it is to make physical contact, should be honored by respectful boundaries.

As I took pictures of the little one in front of me, she relished the attention, fluffing her feathers and enjoying the sunshine. She showed off a bit, exercising her wings in preparation for the next stage of her development, and investigated the blossoms around her, learning how to access the nectar. She would soon be foraging on her own, but for now, Mama Hummingbird returned at intervals with food for her.

When asked about the second baby, another employee helpfully pointed me in the right direction. The older sibling (by one day) was foraging in the blossoms of a cherry tree. While his/her wings were often in motion, and there was some flight, this youngster often perched on a branch while madly flapping. I guess the wings needed to get stronger (no surprise, considering how rapidly they need to beat them to fly), and perhaps he was also learning how to aim for a blossom. He was apparently far enough along in development that I did not witness Mama Hummingbird deliver food.

What a blessing to be able to witness these new lives make their way out into the much larger world! I wished them all the best. It was likely that I would not see them again at my next visit.

APRIL 13

I heard a rumor that Mama Hummingbird had built a new nest. What!? At my next visit, I checked the old nest, which looked smaller. It looked like Mama Hummingbird might have recycled some of the nesting materials for the new one (verified later). I would never have found the new one without the assistance of another employee. It was still under the shade canopy, but on top of a junction box with two lights beneath it. Mama had upgraded her heat source from one to two!

With a big smile, my guide shared that two days ago, Mama laid two eggs. I marveled at Mama Hummingbird’s work ethic. She must have been building the new nest and courting while readying the kids for graduate school. She is a rock star of a single mom!

It will be 14 days before the eggs hatch. I will get to witness Mama raise her new family once again!

Thank you, Mama Hummingbird, for choosing to share your life and your babies with us. May we always be worthy of that trust.

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A WILD WAY TO HEAL
Rose De Dan, Wild Reiki and Shamanic Healing LLC is an animal communicator, Reiki Master Teacher, shamanic energy healer, and author of Tails of a Healer: Animals, Reiki and Shamanism and Out of the Darkness and Other Animal Tails. Her classes, sessions, and ceremonial work are inspired by wild and domestic animals who have issued a call to action for personal and global healing.