Hm, dunno. Can't be too much down from teh mother, I think, since I don't know how much of their downy feather they can reach with their beaks. *pokes around Google a bit* This page (http://www.learner.org/jnorth/tm/humm/NestBuilding.html) suggests spider silk and thistle and dandelion down. This page (http://www.abirdshome.com/hummingbirdnesting.html) is quite interesting - and it says spider silk and plant down, too. Good excuse to cultivate dandelions, I say!
Cool beaners. One time I was looking up references in order to try and draw owls and there was a site that had this couple keeping track of this owl family that was in the woods behind their house. The father and mother took turns in the nest while one or the other went out for food. Pretty interesting stuff when you see how birds are.
That nest was pretty neat, looks pretty cozy actually.
*squee!* Little birdies! One of the many delightful surprises about moving to SoCal is the prevalence of hummingbirds, which were a rare sight in suburban Massachusetts. Seeing more of them never makes them any less cool, though. Nature's pretty sweet.
no subject
no subject
no subject
That nest was pretty neat, looks pretty cozy actually.
no subject
The best photo was at the end, when they put a toothpick and a penny in the nest to show how teeny it really was. XD
no subject
no subject
nice camera! takes great closeup shots!
no subject
no subject
no subject