I have no idea who built this little home, but it's firmly attached to a branch of the horrible Autumn Olive.
The whole thing was only about 2.5 inches across. Seemed a bit large for a hummingbird, but definitely had to belong to a very small bird. I love how tightly it's woven into the foliage.
I carefully pulled the branch down to take a peek. The nest was empty, and judging from the hole in the far side, abandoned. The birds probably already hatched and fledged. I think it's adorable! I really need to get that field guide for bird's nests.
Maybe one of you real birder readers will know who lived here. I've added a closeup of the "cord" that holds the nest to the branch, in case that will help with the ID.
 | See Bird's Nests and Soup |
Wow, that's tiny. I'd love to see the bird that built it.
ReplyDeleteI'm just a birder wannabe :) I love finding nests though. It's amazing how they build them
ReplyDeleteIt looks like it has been attached by plastic twine. Has it? Or are my eyes deceiving me?
ReplyDeleteI also thought that looked like plastic. Either way, a very neat little nest!
ReplyDeleteHummingbird nests are usually 1.5 inches or about the size of a walnut.
ReplyDeleteYet this nest does look like one. Hummers use spider webs to glue and attach the nest. I'm guessing that the "strings" are spider webs. Maybe this is a stretched Hummer nest???
Maybe someone else will know the ID for sure.
Neat find!
How clever of the nest builder! It looks very well made. And cozy too.
ReplyDeleteJohn- Me too! Maybe someone will figure it out.
ReplyDeleteAnn- this was a great find for me, but I really want to know who made it!
John- I added a closeup of that "lacing"- see the comment from Jean. But the size is too big.
John- In closeup, it looks more organic, but it certainly does look "sewed."
Jean- I think you are right about the "lacings"-- I added a closeup. But this was much larger than any hummingbird nest I've seen, and we only have the one kind of hummer here, the rubythroat
Ivy- I bet you are having lots of motherbird, cozy nest thoughts these days, so we will trust you to really know!
That is so amazing, to me. I've seldom seen a bird's nest up close and personal. Birds are incredible!
ReplyDeleteI asked my resident bird expert (Gail Birdtale) to figure it out, and she had the answer in about two minutes. It's a Red-eyed Vireo nest!
ReplyDeleteCarmen- that's sad! Don't you find some in bushes near you?
ReplyDeleteFerd- Oh, oh, OH! Gail is my hero! That makes perfect sense- right size, right habitat. Friends keep trying to teach me the vireo song, but I'm a slow learner on audio things.