By Stan Tekiela
I spend a lot of time improving the habitat on my 30-acre lake property. The goal is to provide nesting opportunities for as many bird species as possible. For example, I have put up a Great Horned Owl nesting platform and low and behold, I have had a pair of Great Horned Owls nesting on my nest platform twice in the past three years.
I have put up dozens of Bluebird nest boxes which not only attract Eastern Bluebirds but also House Wrens, Tree Swallows, and even a Great-crested Flycatcher. I leave dead trees standing so the woodpeckers can excavate a cavity to raise their young.
Over the years, I have planted many kinds of trees to provide nesting opportunities for a wide variety of bird species. So last month I was thrilled beyond belief when we spotted a female Ruby-throated Hummingbird and her tiny nest, on a limb of one of my crabapple trees. It was in a perfect location to allow me to set up and capture some images while studying her nesting behaviors.
The Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris) is the only species of hummingbird that nests in the eastern half of the country. The male and female have separate territories. After mating, the female will claim a territory and begin constructing a nest. She uses soft plant materials such as cattail down from last year’s seed heads. She binds the soft plant material together using spider silk. This allows the nest to be flexible because when she constructs the nest it fits her body, a single adult size hummingbird. However, the female always lays two eggs, and the chicks will grow to full size before leaving the nest. This means the nest needs to expand to accommodate two adult size birds and the spider silk allows the nest to expand.