Spring 2006 - Baby Hummers - Lindsay Wildlife Hospital
Posted: March 15th, 2006, 12:42 pm
This is where I volunteer ... and these are some of the baby hummers that have been coming in for a bit now. Be sure to click on Audio Slideshow: Humming in the winter (Flash) from the link below to hear & see the slide show.
http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cct ... 102693.htm
Wed, Mar. 15, 2006
Beating the breeding rush
By Denis Cuff
CONTRA COSTA TIMES
WALNUT CREEK - Sick bay at one of California's largest wildlife hospitals is nearly empty of babies during winter, with one tiny exception.
One of the smallest of birds -- the Anna's hummingbird -- undertakes the rigors of hatching and raising young in the harsh cold in January, February and March, when most wildlife is lying low.
You might think it would take a bigger being to challenge nature's clock.
But once again this year, Anna's hummingbirds, which newly hatched are about the size of a human fingernail, are the first wildlife babies of the season to show up at the Lindsay Wildlife Museum in Walnut Creek.
"The smallest hatch the earliest," said Susan Heckly, wildlife rehabilitation director of the museum, which sees 6,000 animals a year. "The hummers are very hearty. Sometimes they need our help, though."
Young birds fall or are blown out of nests woven from leaves, plants and spider web silt.
People pruning trees or cleaning walls and windows inadvertently knock down nests clinging to branches or houses.
Anna's hummingbirds, a common Bay Area bird, are most easily recognized by the brilliant ruby throat and head of the male.
These small birds have a method behind their odd timing for parenthood: It minimizes competition. Baby hummingbirds are less likely to be eaten by larger birds that are less active during the coldest and wettest months, biologists say.
Babies are less likely to starve, too. Adult hummingbirds face less competition from other birds in the hunt for small insects and flower nectar to feed babies.
"Hummers need to find a lot of food to raise their young. The babies eat about every 20 or 30 minutes," said Pam Nave, a Lindsay wildlife rehabilitation supervisor.
The small birds may also be adjusting to the proliferation of non-native trees and plants that blossom in California in January and February.
"From an evolutionary standpoint, the Anna's hummers are hedging their bets," said Doug Bell, wildlife biologist with the East Bay Regional Park District. "If they don't succeed early in breeding, they can try later. They're taking full advantages of the opportunities afforded by our temperate climate."
Many hummingbirds leave the Bay Area to breed.
The Anna's, however, sticks around year-round, making itself a familiar figure at backyard feeders.
The Lindsay typically gets about 200 Anna's hummingbirds a year, most of them babies.
A brother and sister at the museum last week were typical refugees.
Someone remodeling a Concord house didn't see the nest until scraping it off a window.
The nests are easy to miss because their opening is about the size of a silver dollar.
As she fed the birds through a syringe, Nave was surprised when one of the youngsters took off in the hospital exam room.
"First flight," she called out. "Turn off the lights. Close the door."
Someone else shouted, "Don't let it get near the air vent."
Hospital workers scurried about, netted the bird and returned it to a counter for more feeding.
Lindsay wildlife experts say it's OK for people to try to put fallen babies back in their nests but advise against trying to feed the young hummingbirds.
The babies need to eat every 30 minutes or less with a special, high-protein diet.
When they reach 25 or 26 days old, Anna's hummingbirds are mature enough to leave the nest in the wild.
Lindsay uses home-care volunteers to keep the birds a little longer, letting the youngsters practice flying in aviaries before being released.
"They're very curious, very sociable birds," Nave said. "They're also very tenacious. They will fiercely defend their territory. If a (backyard) feeder runs out of nectar, the hummers will fly up to people and let them know with loud clicks."
---end of article
http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cct ... 102693.htm
Wed, Mar. 15, 2006
Beating the breeding rush
By Denis Cuff
CONTRA COSTA TIMES
WALNUT CREEK - Sick bay at one of California's largest wildlife hospitals is nearly empty of babies during winter, with one tiny exception.
One of the smallest of birds -- the Anna's hummingbird -- undertakes the rigors of hatching and raising young in the harsh cold in January, February and March, when most wildlife is lying low.
You might think it would take a bigger being to challenge nature's clock.
But once again this year, Anna's hummingbirds, which newly hatched are about the size of a human fingernail, are the first wildlife babies of the season to show up at the Lindsay Wildlife Museum in Walnut Creek.
"The smallest hatch the earliest," said Susan Heckly, wildlife rehabilitation director of the museum, which sees 6,000 animals a year. "The hummers are very hearty. Sometimes they need our help, though."
Young birds fall or are blown out of nests woven from leaves, plants and spider web silt.
People pruning trees or cleaning walls and windows inadvertently knock down nests clinging to branches or houses.
Anna's hummingbirds, a common Bay Area bird, are most easily recognized by the brilliant ruby throat and head of the male.
These small birds have a method behind their odd timing for parenthood: It minimizes competition. Baby hummingbirds are less likely to be eaten by larger birds that are less active during the coldest and wettest months, biologists say.
Babies are less likely to starve, too. Adult hummingbirds face less competition from other birds in the hunt for small insects and flower nectar to feed babies.
"Hummers need to find a lot of food to raise their young. The babies eat about every 20 or 30 minutes," said Pam Nave, a Lindsay wildlife rehabilitation supervisor.
The small birds may also be adjusting to the proliferation of non-native trees and plants that blossom in California in January and February.
"From an evolutionary standpoint, the Anna's hummers are hedging their bets," said Doug Bell, wildlife biologist with the East Bay Regional Park District. "If they don't succeed early in breeding, they can try later. They're taking full advantages of the opportunities afforded by our temperate climate."
Many hummingbirds leave the Bay Area to breed.
The Anna's, however, sticks around year-round, making itself a familiar figure at backyard feeders.
The Lindsay typically gets about 200 Anna's hummingbirds a year, most of them babies.
A brother and sister at the museum last week were typical refugees.
Someone remodeling a Concord house didn't see the nest until scraping it off a window.
The nests are easy to miss because their opening is about the size of a silver dollar.
As she fed the birds through a syringe, Nave was surprised when one of the youngsters took off in the hospital exam room.
"First flight," she called out. "Turn off the lights. Close the door."
Someone else shouted, "Don't let it get near the air vent."
Hospital workers scurried about, netted the bird and returned it to a counter for more feeding.
Lindsay wildlife experts say it's OK for people to try to put fallen babies back in their nests but advise against trying to feed the young hummingbirds.
The babies need to eat every 30 minutes or less with a special, high-protein diet.
When they reach 25 or 26 days old, Anna's hummingbirds are mature enough to leave the nest in the wild.
Lindsay uses home-care volunteers to keep the birds a little longer, letting the youngsters practice flying in aviaries before being released.
"They're very curious, very sociable birds," Nave said. "They're also very tenacious. They will fiercely defend their territory. If a (backyard) feeder runs out of nectar, the hummers will fly up to people and let them know with loud clicks."
---end of article