The folks at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service protect the ecology of our country every day, especially around springtime.
Springtime is essential as it is the time of year when many animals reproduce, including fragile and delicate creatures such as hummingbirds.
The USFWA wants to warn everyone about what to do if they come upon a hummingbird nesting area.
The USFWA took to Facebook to issue an important warning about hummingbird nests. Their message quickly made a huge impact on the web. The post was shared more than 250,000 times by nature lovers trying to keep hummingbirds safe.
The image of a hummingbird nest in the wild, taken by photographer Kelly Campbell, is a delicate portrait of an almost impossibly tiny bird’s nest caught in the branches of an evergreen. These little birds typically weigh less than one-tenth of an ounce.
The USFWS advised: “Hummingbird eggs are tiny, about the size of jelly beans! Please remember to carefully check for nests before you trim trees and shrubs this spring.”
Hummingbirds are versatile creatures that live all over the Americas, as far south as Chile and as far north as Alaska during the summer months. They tend to make their homes wherever the conditions are right. They especially love gardens.
Hummingbirds often set up a household in a well-maintained garden. Gardens that are filled with bright, nectar-rich flowers, have hummingbird feeders and birdbaths, will, attract these tiny birds. If a hummingbird decides to live in your garden, it may also decide to start a family.
Female hummingbirds tend to build small, delicate nests out of spider webs, moss, and leaves. They particularly like to build on down-sloping branches particularly over running water when possible. They like to disguise and camouflage the nest with bits of lichen. This strategy keeps their eggs safe from predators.
If you have a lush garden and live in the Americas, be sure to take a close look at your garden before you prune it. You might be saving dozens of little lives!
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