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[Phyl]

Aryana Hummingbird
Feb 12, 2024 3:13 PM
Camera Time: Feb 12, 2024 1:13 PM PST

[Phyl]

Aryana Hummingbird: Nestlings at 15 & 16 days old

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCUgG9FescA


Feb 13, 2024
Today, Aryana's chicks (Faith and Eros) are 16 & 15 days old. They're doing all the things you'd expect of a hummingbird baby at this point in their development:  eating, pooping, napping, peeping, and wingersizing, etc.  Oh, and did you notice? They've preened the sheaths from quite a few pinfeathers, revealing for us their characteristic green and orange coloring.

NEST DATA:
Aryana is a non-migrating Allen's Hummingbird who lives in the coastal area of Southern California. She's raising her first clutch of the 2024 mating season in a Gartenmeister Fuchsia.

Nest building efforts first spotted on December 25, 2023
Egg laying: Jan 12, 2023 at 6:49 a.m. and Jan 14 at 6:58 a.m.
Incubation period started on January 14th, at 6:58 a.m.
Faith's hatch occurred on January 29th--Day 16 of the incubation period. Eros hatched the next day (January 30th).
*FLEDGE WATCH: 20-28 days is the estimated timeframe from hatch to fledge.

[Phyl]

Aryana Hummingbird
Feb 15, 2024 5:39 PM
Camera Time: Feb 15, 2024 3:38 PM PST

[Phyl]

Aryana Hummingbird: Eros Takes His First, Brave Steps & Jousts with Faith
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sP4PwF9w


Eros behind leaf

Feb 20, 2024
At 22 and 23 days post-hatch, Eros and Faith are preparing for a life beyond the confines of the nest. Eros is the first to venture forth...at least a little bit. You can watch that earlier scene, in a shorter clip. Here, he takes his first, brave steps onto an adjacent branch; forages for insects among its leaves; cozies up to Aryana for nectar slurry; and engages Faith in a friendly jousting match afterward. Fun times!

But does this count as a fledge? Not quite. In a true fledge, our Fledge Watch Contest rules say, "a nestling uses both wings to achieve liftoff, and both feet leave the nest--no one-footed hops or touch-backs on any part of the nest rim or a nearby branch." So Fledge Watch continues!
 
For newcomers to this nest, and those who want a quick refresher course:

Q: Who is Aryana Hummingbird?
A: Aryana Hummingbird is an Allen's hummingbird who's raising her first clutch of the 2024 nesting season in a Gartenmeister Fuchsia. Her babies, Eros and Faith, are 21 & 22 days old. Thanks to Explore.org, we're able to watch the entire nesting process, from egg to fledge.
 
Q: How much do these nestlings weigh right now?
A: It's hard to give an exact answer, but a mature adult Allen's hummingbird weighs between 2 - 4 grams (the average being about 3 grams). Since they're not yet fledglings, it's fair to guess that they'd come in at
the lighter end of that range. So...2 grams, then, if not slightly less. How does that compare to the weight of everyday objects? Well, these items weigh approximately 1 gram apiece, so pick any two: a paper clip, a raisin, a U.S. dollar bill, the cap of a disposable Bic pen, and 1/4 teaspoon sugar.
Short answer: They're feather-light!

NEST DATA:
Aryana is a non-migrating Allen's Hummingbird who lives in the coastal area of Southern California. She's raising her first clutch of the 2024 mating season in a Gartenmeister Fuchsia.

Nest building efforts first spotted on December 25, 2023
Egg laying: Jan 12, 2023 at 6:49 a.m. and Jan 14 at 6:58 a.m.
Incubation period started on January 14th, at 6:58 a.m.
Faith's hatch occurred on January 29th--Day 16 of the incubation period. Eros hatched the next day (January 30th).
*FLEDGE WATCH: 20-28 days is the estimated timeframe from hatch to fledge.

[Phyl]

Aryana Hummingbird: Oopsie-Daisy, Eros!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVIiraPTmq0
Feb 21, 2024


Feb 21, 2024
Eros continues the trend he started yesterday by breaking free of the confines of the nest. But he's still getting his proverbial feet under him, as you'll see in this clip. While maneuvering himself from the nest rim onto an adjacent branch, Eros loses his balance but uses his wings (assisted by Faith's beak) to regain solid footing.  Whew, and yay!

Enquiring minds want to know: Does this count as a fledge? Not quite. In a true fledge, our Fledge Watch Contest rules say, "a nestling uses both wings to achieve liftoff, and both feet leave the nest--no one-footed hops or touch-backs on any part of the nest rim or a nearby branch." So Fledge Watch continues!

Aryana Hummingbird: Eros Takes Another Step Toward Fledge & Faith Relaxes in Roomier Quarters
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJed6TCpYKI

Feb 21, 2024
Eros is breaking free of the confines of the nest. He is the first to venture forth...at least a little bit. (You can watch that milestone in an earlier clip.) Here, he takes things a step further by maneuvering onto an adjacent branch. Meanwhile, Faith enjoys her roomier quarters. Aryana returns to feed them both, which is an athletic feat of its own.

Enquiring minds want to know: Does this count as a fledge? Not quite. In a true fledge, our Fledge Watch Contest rules say, "a nestling uses both wings to achieve liftoff, and both feet leave the nest--no one-footed hops or touch-backs on any part of the nest rim or a nearby branch." So Fledge Watch continues!

[Phyl]

Wings Up for Aryana Hummingbird and a Successful First Clutch of 2024!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79oQDv-ZugE
Feb 21, 2024

Faith and Eros took to the skies at 1:54 p.m. PST this afternoon. They fledged as one, in a rare, simultaneous take-off and landed somewhere between a camellia bush and a patch of honeysuckle.

It seemed today like Aryana was in a huge hurry to build a new nest, while also "encouraging" her babies to take wing.  She cannibalized cotton from the existing nest, tugged bits of fluff from under her babies. Little bits, and then big wads...she ferried these construction supplies in her beak to parts unknown. And when they didn't seem inclined to fledge anytime soon,  she pirouetted around her nestlings like a whirling dervish, flew down and around them while flapping her wings. It's entirely possible that she startled them into fledging, but we can't rule out the fact that, at 23 and 24 days post-hatch, they decided on their own that it was time they experienced the wider world. Together, like the tight-knit family they'd become.

Aryana's visited this nest several times since they took to the skies. You'll see at least two visits in this video. Notice the stringy plant matter on the nest bowl? It was coiled in her belly feathers earlier this morning--more nesting materials, probably, dragged to and fro in her haste. It shook loose somehow, and her babies toyed with it 'til they fledged.. Fast forward several minutes after her babies fledge, and you'll see Aryana poke her beak into the nest interior and drape it like a ribbon across the nest. Who knows, maybe she'll decide to refurbish this nest for her nest brood!

The fate of each hummingbird nest varies, of course, depending on the circumstances in which the mama hummingbird and her babies find themselves. For example, they might be abandoned, repurposed by other females, be left to deteriorate over time, or get reused by Aryana in this or a future breeding season.
 

[Phyl]

First Look: Aryana Hummingbird on Her 2nd Nest

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcT-gkfHAzU

Feb 29, 2024
Aryana is a non-migrating Allen's hummingbird who lives in the coastal area of Southern California.  This is her second nest of the 2024 mating season. Aryana started pulling cotton fluff for a new nest on February 21st, the same day that her first brood (Faith and Eros) fledged.  We discovered this nest on February 24th, 2024. It's tucked into the sheltered branches of a tree-sized Banana Shrub.

Banana Shrubs are members of the Magnolia tree family. They do not yield fruit. The name is inspired by their creamy-white, burgundy-tipped blossoms, which fill the air with a sweet, unmistakable fragrance--like bananas, some say, or maybe Juicy Fruit. 
 
Thanks to our Partnership with Explore.org, we're able to livestream the entire nesting process, from egg to fledge.

NEST DATA:

Nest-in-progress first spotted on February 24, 2024.
Egg laying:
Incubation period started on
Faith's hatch occurred on January 29th--Day 16 of the incubation period. Eros hatched the next day (January 30th).
*Fledge watch: 20-28 days is the estimated timeframe from hatch to fledge.
Fledge Date: Simultaneous fledge on February 21, 2024

Aryana will likely have at least 2-3 clutches this season.

[Linda M]

Thanks, Phyl!  The cotton lining in that nest is amazing; looks so comfy.

[Phyl]

Nice to 'see' you Linda.
Thanks for stopping by. 

[Phyl]

Aryana Hummingbird
Mar 2, 2024 1:36 PM
Camera Time: Mar 2, 2024 11:34 AM PST

[Phyl]

Aryana Hummingbird lays the 1st egg in her 2nd nest of 2024 (Extended Version)  Mar 3, 2024


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dd2PuNdehqo

After sitting low in the nest for several minutes (only some of which you see here), Aryana lifts herself onto the uppermost edge of the interior nest wall. She stabilizes herself by gripping the nest fluff with her tiny talons and exhibits some of the signs that suggest a hummingbird is “laboring”: her back end is elevated. She flares, lifts, and wiggles her tail. She then appears to "collapse" into the nest bowl, which indicates that labor is over and there’s an egg in the nest. Official time of egg-laying: Sunday, March 3, 2024 at 7:01 a.m. Pacific.

Aryana inspects her egg several times in this clip, poking it with her beak and spinning it with her feet. This keeps the egg membranes from sticking to the shell. Even though she rests on the nest for a while, she is not yet incubating this egg. It is not at risk, temperature wise, as the regional weather is a balmy 60-some degrees Fahrenheit. Plus, she blankets it with her "brood patch" while she sits on her nest. Aryana will likely lay her second of two eggs within the next couple of days, and will then begin the incubation process. By delaying incubation, both chicks will hatch very close together, develop at the same rate, and fledge within a similar timeframe.

Aryana pulled cotton fluff for a new nest on February 21st, the same day that her first brood (Faith and Eros) fledged. We discovered this nest on February 24th, 2024. It's tucked into the sheltered branches of a tree-sized Banana Shrub. Thanks to our Partnership with Explore.org, we're able to livestream the entire nesting process, from egg to fledge.

NEST DATA: Nest-in-progress first spotted on February 24, 2024.
Egg laying: March 3 at 7:01 a.m. and
Incubation period:
Hatch Watch: 15-18 days after incubation begins.
Fledge watch: 20-28 days is the estimated timeframe from hatch to fledge.
Fledge Date:

[Phyl]

First Look: Aryana Hummingbird on Her 2nd Nest

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcT-gkfHAzU

 Mar 3, 2024

Aryana is a non-migrating Allen's hummingbird who lives in the coastal area of Southern California.  This is her second nest of the 2024 mating season. Aryana started pulling cotton fluff for a new nest on February 21st, the same day that her first brood (Faith and Eros) fledged.  We discovered this nest on February 24th, 2024. It's tucked into the sheltered branches of a tree-sized Banana Shrub.

Banana Shrubs are members of the Magnolia tree family. They do not yield fruit. The name is inspired by their creamy-white, burgundy-tipped blossoms, which fill the air with a sweet, unmistakable fragrance--like bananas, some say, or maybe Juicy Fruit. 
 
Thanks to our Partnership with Explore.org, we're able to livestream the entire nesting process, from egg to fledge.

NEST DATA:

Nest-in-progress first spotted on February 24, 2024.
Egg laying:
Incubation period started on
Faith's hatch occurred on January 29th--Day 16 of the incubation period. Eros hatched the next day (January 30th).
*Fledge watch: 20-28 days is the estimated timeframe from hatch to fledge.
Fledge Date: Simultaneous fledge on February 21, 2024

[Phyl]

Aryana Hummingbird Lays the 1st Egg in her 2nd Nest of 2024 (Director's Cut)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SprT2IqE7Gg

 Mar 5, 2024


After sitting low in the nest for several minutes, Aryana lifts herself onto the uppermost edge of the interior nest wall. She stabilizes herself by gripping the nest fluff with her tiny talons and her back end is elevated. She flares, lifts, and wiggles her tail, and then appears to "collapse" into the nest bowl, which indicates that labor is over and there’s an egg in the nest. Official time of egg-laying: Sunday, March 3, 2024 at 7:01 a.m. Pacific.

Aryana inspects her egg several times, pokes it with her beak, and spins it with her feet. This helps keeps the egg membranes from sticking to the shell.  NOTE: If you're interested in seeing the entire egg-laying process, please browse our library for the Extended Version of this clip.

] Even though Aryana stays on the nest for a while, she is not yet incubating this egg. It is not at risk, temperature wise, as the regional weather is a balmy 60-some degrees Fahrenheit and she covers it with her "brood patch" while she sits on her nest. Aryana will likely lay her second of two eggs within the next couple of days, and will then begin the incubation process. By delaying incubation, both chicks will hatch very close together, develop at the same rate, and fledge within a similar timeframe.

NEST DATA:

Aryana pulling cotton fluff for a new nest on February 21st, the same day that her first brood (Faith and Eros) fledged. We discovered this nest on February 24th, 2024. It's tucked into the sheltered branches of a tree-sized Banana Shrub. Banana Shrubs are members of the Magnolia tree family. They do not yield fruit. The name is inspired by their creamy-white, burgundy-tipped blossoms, which fill the air with a sweet, unmistakable fragrance--like bananas, some say, or maybe Juicy Fruit.

Thanks to our Partnership with Explore.org, we're able to livestream the entire nesting process, from egg to fledge. NEST DATA: Nest-in-progress first spotted on February 24, 2024. Egg laying: 1st egg on March 3 at 7:01 a.m. Incubation period begins: Hatch Watch: 15-18 days after incubation begins. Hatch: Fledge watch: 20-28 days is estimated timeframe from hatch to fledge

[Phyl]

Aryana Hummingbird Lays 2nd Egg in Her 2nd Nest of 2024

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jpeoah4O1YE

 Mar 5, 2024


After sitting low in the nest for several minutes, Aryana lifts herself onto the uppermost edge of the interior nest wall. She stabilizes herself by gripping the nest fluff with her tiny talons, and positions her body so there's plenty of room for the egg to fall into the nest. She then exhibits some of the recognizable signs of “labor."  First sign: a poop shoot. Contractions ripple along her back. After flaring, lifting, and wiggling her tail, she hovers over the nest for a brief moment. She then collapses into the nest bowl and flutters her wings--a recognizable sign that labor is over and there’s an egg in the nest. Official time of egg-laying: Tuesday, March 5, 2024 at 6:49 a.m. Pacific.

Aryana inspects her egg several times in this clip, poking it with her beak and spinning it with her feet. This keeps the egg membranes from sticking to the shell. Even though she rests on the nest for a while, she is not yet incubating this egg. It is not at risk, temperature wise, as the regional weather is a balmy 60-some degrees Fahrenheit. Plus, she blankets it with her "brood patch" while she sits on her nest. Aryana will likely lay her second of two eggs within the next couple of days, and will then begin the incubation process. By delaying incubation, both chicks will hatch very close together, develop at the same rate, and fledge within a similar timeframe. Aryana pulled cotton fluff for a new nest on February 21st, the same day that her first brood (Faith and Eros) fledged. We discovered this nest on February 24th, 2024. It's tucked into the sheltered branches of a tree-sized Banana Shrub. Thanks to our Partnership with Explore.org, we're able to livestream the entire nesting process, from egg to fledge.

NEST DATA: Nest-in-progress first spotted on February 24, 2024.
Egg laying:
March 3 at 7:01 a.m.
March 5 at 6:49 a.m.
Incubation period begins with 2nd egg-laying (March 5th at 6: 49 a.m.)
Hatch Watch: 15-18 days after incubation begins.
Fledge watch: 20-28 days is the estimated timeframe from hatch to fledge.

[Phyl]

Aryana Hummingbird Snoozes on Her Nest in a Rainstorm

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Abl1l2kr8p4

 Mar 6, 2024
Aryana's nest swayed in the wind, so she tucked herself into the cotton and dozed. First, though, she blanketed her eggs with her brood patch to keep them warm.

Rainwater shimmered on her feathers, beading up and rolling off her back while she napped. I don't know about you, but I was reminded of those Calm app commercials.

Rest assured: Hummingbirds are well-equipped to handle even heavier winds and rain!  And besides, Aryana's nest is sheltered by a roof overhang and dense vegetation, so she doesn't feel the full impact of rain- and wind-storms. Want to learn more about hummingbirds in the rain? Read this:  https://watchingthebirds.com/what-do-...


Thanks to our Partnership with Explore.org, we're able to livestream the entire nesting process, from egg to fledge. Aryana is a non-migrating Allen's hummingbird who lives in the coastal area of Southern California. This is her second nest of the 2024 mating season.

Cover Image Credit: KarlaAnn

NEST DATA: Nest-in-progress first spotted on February 24, 2024.
Egg laying: March 3 at 7:01 a.m. and 6:47 a.m. on March 5th.
Incubation period: Begins at 6:47 a.m. on March 15th,
Hatch Watch: 15-18 days, starting from the day incubation begins.
Fledge watch: 20-28 days is the estimated timeframe from hatch to fledge.