Anna’s Hummingbirds over-winter in the Wenatchee valley. Can you imagine the hardiness of a bird that weighs just 3-6 grams (0.1-0.2 oz.) that needs to contend with temperatures in the teens and 45 miles per hour winds? They are determined to survive until spring so they can begin to build a nest to raise their young.

Female Anna’s pick the nesting spot and build their tiny nest (1 inch tall and 1.5 inches in diameter). Over the period of a week, she gathers plant down from a variety of plants and weaves in spider webs for strength and stability. The bird brings in the material and positions it with its beak and then packs the material with its feet and forms the nest around herself with a series of vibrating movements. Quick sweeps of a wing keep the outside of the nest solid and shaped.

Friends alerted me to this nest in their yard and gave me access. This short video will be the first of several as I document this nest and, with fervent hope, the hatching of young.

The video is hosted on the NCWAS YouTube channel here. You can watch the video in 4K or HD with a simple selection in the Settings. I highly recommend at least 1080.

Enjoy the show!