Spring is in full power ...

Lets brighten up peoples live with all those lovely pictures of the world around us!

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Spring is in full power ...

Post by rsfoto »

Hi,

As every year, since 5 years, a couple of Sayas Phoebe = Sayornis Saya are nesting under the floor of my Observatories cold room on the concrete pier

Nesting_01.jpg
Nesting_01.jpg (142.11 KiB) Viewed 8219 times

and a surprise yesterday when my wofe told me there are some Humming bird nests in my Bamboo Jungle and today I got the first image of a Ruby Throated Hummingbird (female) (Archilochus colubris)

Nesting_02.jpg
Nesting_02.jpg (197.09 KiB) Viewed 8219 times

Let us see what comes out here later on.

20 years ago I managed to get this image from the same species of Hummingbird in another garden from us but same town as now. The image is a bit small as in those time the computer monitors had 1024 x 768 pixels :lol:

MutterKolibri.jpg
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Last edited by rsfoto on Sat Apr 04, 2020 2:58 pm, edited 2 times in total.


regards Rainer

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Re: Spring is in full power ...

Post by marktownley »

Those are lovely Rainer, thanks for sharing.


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Re: Spring is in full power ...

Post by MapleRidge »

These are excellent pics Rainer!!!

Thanks for sharing,
Brian


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Re: Spring is in full power ...

Post by Montana »

You don't know how much these made me smile, like a weight lifting off me :) please keep us up to date, especially if little babies arrive :hamster: but don't disturb them too much :)

Alexandra


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Re: Spring is in full power ...

Post by rsfoto »

Montana wrote: Sat Apr 04, 2020 8:13 am You don't know how much these made me smile, like a weight lifting off me :) please keep us up to date, especially if little babies arrive :hamster: but don't disturb them too much :)

Alexandra
Hi Alexandra,

Thanks but this
... but don't disturb them too much
because she built the nest a meter away from our main entrance into the house and as there is only one entrance she will need to get used to us, Sorry, not our fault :?

BTW those hummingbirds are not that sensible as many people think. They are quite robust as I found out from my experience 20 years ago. The image of the humming bird mother feeding the nestling was a session where I was standing there for about 7 hours taking photos and sometimes she approached me to about 60 cm and she snarled at me telling me more or less to go away. After a while she desisted as she saw there was no danger ... That mother had two nestlings ...

We will see how this develops ...

The Sayas Phoebe they already know me and I can approach about 2 meters and they do not fly away anymore. At the beggining the distance was about 5 to 6 meters.

Rainer


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Re: Spring is in full power ...

Post by rsfoto »

Nesting_location.jpg
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regards Rainer

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Re: Spring is in full power ...

Post by ffellah »

Super images, Rainer

Franco


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Re: Spring is in full power ...

Post by Montana »

I was thinking, what sort of predators do Hummingbirds have? I wonder if she deliberately made her nest very close to your door for protection from predators which would be unlikely to go so close your door?

This is what has happened in Iceland, the main Arctic Tern colony nests are all right in the towns between the buildings. They started doing this a while back and researchers think it is because Arctic foxes won't come in to town and therefore the colony is much safer. They are a bit annoying for the humans but I did enjoy wandering around the car parks and enjoying them (getting bombed too).

Alexandra


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Re: Spring is in full power ...

Post by Derek Klepp »

Great pics.


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Re: Spring is in full power ...

Post by rsfoto »

Montana wrote: Mon Apr 06, 2020 7:33 am I was thinking, what sort of predators do Hummingbirds have? I wonder if she deliberately made her nest very close to your door for protection from predators which would be unlikely to go so close your door?

This is what has happened in Iceland, the main Arctic Tern colony nests are all right in the towns between the buildings. They started doing this a while back and researchers think it is because Arctic foxes won't come in to town and therefore the colony is much safer. They are a bit annoying for the humans but I did enjoy wandering around the car parks and enjoying them (getting bombed too).

Alexandra
Hi Alexandra,

Well I can not answer that but we have one predator which is a homeless cat ... but so far I have not seen him there yet.

So far the Hummingbird mother is still there but another nest nearby also in the branches of the Bamboo has been abandoned with 2 eggs inside. It was built a bit higher the the smaller one also again about one meter from our way into the house. Never ever again it was occupied. The reason for being abandoned ? I have no idea.

Maybe rivalry between the Hummingbirds and the Nesting place ?

Nesting_09.jpg
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regards Rainer

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Re: Spring is in full power ...

Post by rsfoto »

Hi,

Here a test making a video. Today the wind was very strong. Gusts up to 60 km/h

The most interesting thing is that she sits there like frozen. You can only see her blinking.

https://vimeo.com/406925791


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Re: Spring is in full power ...

Post by marktownley »

Wowzer, she is completely motionless!


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Re: Spring is in full power ...

Post by Montana »

Wow!! she is so beautiful! and I am sure she will get a sore neck staying in that pose for so long :) it is absolutely amazing how loyal and patient these creatures are, what an outstanding effort :hamster:

Alexandra


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Re: Spring is in full power ...

Post by rsfoto »

Hi,

Thanks Alexandra and Mark. Yes, A few days ago I was also sitting there for maybe 15 to 20 Minutes and no, not a single movement. I think they somehow get into a state of trance and the only think that keeps working are the eyes in order to detect movement and instantly wake up ...


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Re: Spring is in full power ...

Post by rsfoto »

Hi and well,

Tragic news. One of the street cats knocked down the Hummingbird nest.

First thing in the morning I do is go to the kitchen window and look at the bamboo jungle expecting to see it and during the night from yesterday to today it happened.

That is nature ...

:( :( :( :( :( :(


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Re: Spring is in full power ...

Post by Montana »

ohhhhh :evil: you need barbed wire and automatic water pistols :(

Alexandra


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Re: Spring is in full power ...

Post by marktownley »

Naughty puss cat... :cat


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Re: Spring is in full power ...

Post by MapleRidge »

Rainer...

Hate to hear the nest was knocked down, hopefully the nest is rebuilt and the hummingbirds can start a new brood!!!

The video as great to watch too...its like the bird was image stabilized, so still ;)

Brian


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Re: Spring is in full power ...

Post by rsfoto »

NOT FOR THE WEAK. DISTURBING IMAGES.


... and the Tragic story goes on ...

Hi,

I watched yersterday for many hours how the parents were feeding their nestlings. Unfortunately they had a favorite for feeding and so today the story had a tragic end. The smalles one passed away around 14 hours mexican time.

Below some images of the big one and the small one. On the end f this message there are two not very nice images.


NOT FOR THE WEAK. DISTURBING IMAGES.


Image


Image


Image


Image


Image


Image


Image


NOT FOR THE WEAK. DISTURBING IMAGES.


Image


I released the nestling from his hanging position and put her/him next to a nestling which died ast year in the third Nesting session of the same. The third Nesting session from last year had 4 nestlings. Two grew up normal, one had possibly a brain damage as he could not control well one wing and the Tail and the fourth was kicked out of the nest. That is the bare skeletton.

Well this is Nature. In irder to save them one would need to get them insects and if oinw has watched how they hunt insects in full flight one will realize that it will not be possible to rescue one. IMHO.


Image


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Re: Spring is in full power ...

Post by Montana »

Unfortunately that is the way it goes, he was the back up and there was obviously not enough insects to feed him. There is a sad and terrible decline in insect numbers around the world and this will become more and more common. In the past I expect all the babies would have enough food, he does look very thin. But on the plus side, those parents have one very fat and healthy baby :)

In the UK we have Barn Owls and they play this strategy, they have around 4-5 eggs but they all hatch a day apart so the difference between large and small is wide. If there are enough, mice then all is fine, if not then the smallest is the first to go - down the hatch of the largest. Then like Russian dolls the next goes down and so on.

Alexandra


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Re: Spring is in full power ...

Post by rsfoto »

Montana wrote: Thu Apr 23, 2020 7:12 am Unfortunately that is the way it goes, he was the back up and there was obviously not enough insects to feed him. There is a sad and terrible decline in insect numbers around the world and this will become more and more common. In the past I expect all the babies would have enough food, he does look very thin. But on the plus side, those parents have one very fat and healthy baby :)

In the UK we have Barn Owls and they play this strategy, they have around 4-5 eggs but they all hatch a day apart so the difference between large and small is wide. If there are enough, mice then all is fine, if not then the smallest is the first to go - down the hatch of the largest. Then like Russian dolls the next goes down and so on.

Alexandra
Hi,

Last year they managed to hatch a total of 7 nestlings in 3 hatching sessions 2 + 2 + 3. Let us see how they do this year.

BTW we do not use pesticides in the garden. I have seen that the Say's Phoebe do a very good in keeping my garden Insect free. What they do not eat are wasps. The main food are butterflies, damselflies, etc. mostly winged insects but also they clean up the garden from those little insects which when you touch them they convert themselves in a little ball which you call in UK Monkey-peas or Pea Bug or Cheesy Bobs, etc :lol: Look below

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodlouse


regards Rainer

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