A Hummingbird's Journey from Nest to Flight - Part 1 of 2

An Anna's Hummingbird nest in our Berkeley California backyard.

Anna’s Hummingbird’s nest, discovered on the 25th of February 2022

In late February, I discovered a hummingbird nest in my backyard. The nest had two tiny eggs that were already hidden inside of it, and the nest was incredibly well camouflaged. She created an art piece out of her nest, adding more and more lichen to the outside, creating the illusion of blending into the bark and the leaves of the shrub, but also, incredibly, being visually pleasing, and having its own personality. The eggs, both as tiny as jelly beans, stayed unhatched for 19 days. Mother hummingbirds commonly lay 2 eggs, and are the sole caretakers (the fathers have no part in it). 

Mother hummingbird keeping her eggs warm and protected.

As the days went by, I watched the mother hummingbird sit on her eggs to keep them warm. I also noticed her often bathing herself in our fountain and drinking the water from it as well.

Mother drinking and bathing in our water fountain.

Newly hatched.

When the babies in my backyard did finally hatch, they were incredibly small, with cute little yellow beaks, completely naked with their eyes sealed shut. Click here to view the baby chicks in their nest at only two days old.

A mother Anna’s hummingbird feeding her 3-day-old babies. Photo from March 14th 2017 of a different nest found in our backyard.

The babies required regular feeding from their mother. The mother gathers food for them that includes insects, which are either found caught in sticky tree sap, or right out of the air, as well as flower nectar. She often uses the Mexican sage and the Gravillia that is flowering in our backyard. Several times throughout the day I was able to see her come back to the nest and push the food inside their open mouths.

Mother hummingbirds feed their babies very frequently. When the mother would leave, I was able to get closer to the nest and the babies. It was also quite funny to watch them push their little butts just outside of the nest to poop! Click here to see a video of it happening! Baby hummingbirds have a natural instinct to do this in order to keep the inside of the nest clean and free of debris. The poop tends to get all over the leaves nearby, as well as the outside of the nest.

Together, they would keep each other warm and safe curled up in the nest, breathing in and out so rapidly that they appeared as one beating heart, like a pulsing energy. Click here to see them inside the nest close-up at 6 days old.

Part two to follow soon.

Thank you Zoe Thompson-Brooks for your writing and editing expertise. All photography by Mel Hofmann except where noted.

To learn more about me and my work, including my deck of Sacred Journey Medicine Cards, and to see more nature photography, click here.