There is a hummingbird nest, in the peach tree right outside our dining room window. We can easily watch from the kitchen table as the hummer mom comes and goes from her nest.
The nest itself is built right at the end of a long branch. In spite of this location, it is out of direct sun for most of the day. However, during the past couple of weeks we have had some prolonged and gusty winds that whipped the branch around like a crazy carnival ride.
We kept an eye on her during these wind storms, and did not see her budge off of that nest. She sat tight as the branch swept back and forth. We really thought she would be catapulted off. But it was probably the safest place for her to be - winds can easily injure a tiny bird like her, so better to stay grounded while the high winds were blowing.
During breaks in the wind she would leave her nest to refuel at our hummingbird feeders. She would return to the nest with building materials in her beak, to shore up her nest. When the winds would pick up again, she would stay on her nest.
The winds have stopped for now, and we were able to quickly photograph the nest while she was off at the feeders. We were surprised to see she had included soft fluffy milkweed seeds from our butterfly garden. It is really a beautiful little work of art.
"Energy and persistence conquer all things."
~ Benjamin Franklin
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