Newspaper Page Text
Page 2C
May 18, 2022
Reporter
MONROE OUTDOORS by Terry W. Johnson
Hummingbirds create works of art to hold their tiny eggs
This female ruby-throated hummingbird has worked tire
lessly for up to 10 days to fashion her precisely crafted
nest. Hummingbirds nest twice each season. (Photo/ PIXA-
BAY)
T he ruby-throated
hummingbirds
nest is by far the
most amazing
nest built by any bird that
breeds in Monroe County.
When you
gaze upon
one, it is
difficult to
imagine that
a bird that
weighs a little
more than
a penny can
construct
something
that is truly a
work of art.
In the world of the ruby-
throated hummingbird,
the female, in addition to
laying the eggs, is totally
responsible for building the
nest, incubating the eggs,
and feeding the hatchlings.
Throughout the South,
ruby-throated humming
birds nest twice a year. As
such, she must accomplish
this task twice each breed
ing season.
After mating, the female
rubythroat begins this
arduous process by select
ing just the right place to
build her nest. Sometimes
a female will refurbish the
nest she built the previ
ous year. Nests are usu
ally built in deciduous
hardwood trees, such as
yellow poplar, sweetgum,
maple, oak, hackberry, and
beech. However, the list of
trees used for this purpose
are not limited to those
named here. For example,
the birds will also nest in
pine trees. In fact, the first
ruby-throated humming
bird nest I ever saw was in
a pine tree.
Nests are built
anywhere from
six to 50 feet
(average 10-20
feet) above the
ground.
Female ruby-
throats like to
affix their nests
atop slender,
gently slop
ing limbs and
branches growing along the
outer edges of a tree. Often
a canopy of branches and
leaves will be located above
the nest.
Ruby-throated hum
mingbirds have a propen
sity for selecting nesting
sites above streams, as well
as along the edges of open
ings (including lawns) and
the shorelines of lakes and
streams.
For some unknown rea
son, rubythroats occasion
ally nest in strange places.
For example, one observer
found a rubythroat nest
on the stem of a smooth
sumac. The stem was bro
ken off roughly 22 inches
above the ground. The nest
spanned the broken stem
and a shoot that sprouted
about an inch below the
place where the main shrub
was snapped.
A Flovilla couple had
a female ruby-throated
hummingbird fashion
her nest on the head of a
ceramic angel that adorned
a wind chime that hung on
their porch. One spring a
Warner Robins couple was
surprised to discover that a
rubythroat built her nest in
the links of a chain holding
up a wind chime. Hum
mingbird nests have also
been constructed on wires,
fence posts, extension
cords, strings of Christmas
lights, and even on porch
lights.
Ruby-throated hum
mingbirds do not nest in
colonies. To the contrary,
their nests are usually
located no closer than 60 to
70 yards apart.
Construction begins
with a female attaching
bud scales and other tiny
bits of plant materials
with spider webs. In some
instances, pine rosin is even
employed to glue a nest to
a branch. The slender silk
found in tent caterpillar
nests is also used in nest
construction. The bot
tom and sides of the nest
include a variety of materi
als, such as the down found
on dandelions, thistles and
other plants. However, bud
scales are a key component
of rubythroat nests. Each
item used in construction
is meticulously wrapped
with spider webs and at
tached to the nest. This
makes the nest both strong
and flexible.
The whole process
requires the tireless female
to make innumerable trips
to collect plant materials
and spider webs. For that
reason, when you spot a
female hovering near the
spider webs located under
the eaves of your home,
there is a good chance she
is collecting pieces of the
webs to construct her nest.
A female uses her tiny
body to help shape the nest.
She will actually stomp
her feet on the floor of the
nest in an effort to stiffen
it. She shapes and smooths
the rim of her creation by
pressing it between her
chest and neck.
The cup of the nest is
lined with soft, light ma
terials such as plant down.
Hummers will also use
bits of cotton provided by
hummingbird fanciers in
hummingbird balls hang
ing in backyards.
Before the nest is com
plete it must be adorned
with lichens. It is thought
that this is done to camou
flage the nest and its con
tents. Hummers use lichens
and moss for this purpose.
Rubythroats appear to
prefer using the scaly, blue-
green lichens that grow on
the sunny sides of trees.
Often these lichens are
plucked from trees growing
nearby the nest.
Interestingly, flakes of
light green paint have been
found in hummingbird
nests. Were they mistaken
for lichens? Who knows?
This whole process takes
anywhere from one to 10
days. Nests built on the
remains of former nests
require less time to fash
ion from those built from
scratch.
When this masterpiece
is completed is it probably
much smaller than you
ever imagined. Here are
the average dimensions of a
typical ruby-throated hum
mingbird nest: outside
diameter - 1-1.75”, height
- 1-2”, inside diameter -
0.75-1”, depth - 0.75”.
This amazing creation
has been called Mother Na
tures crown jewel. It would
be hard to argue it does not
deserve this title.
Terry Johnson of Forsyth
is retired Program Manager
of the Georgia Nongame-
Endangered Wildlife
Program. He has written the
informative column Monroe
Outdoors’for the Reporter
for many years. His book,
“A Journey to Discovery,” is
available at The Reporter.
Email him at tjwoodduck@
bellsouth.net.
TERRY W. JOHNSON
Three
MC boys
All-Region
atFPD
Three Monroe County
boys on FPDs Region 1-A
championship baseball
team were named All
Region last week. Colton
McDonald, Jackson Moore
and Coleman Cauley
were named to the Region
1-A private All-Region
team. Others players from
Monroe County on the
team were Garrett Veal and
Micah Henley. The Vikings
went 23-9,12-3 in region
before falling in Round 2 of
the state playoffs.
Coleman Cauley
Colton McDonald
Jackson Moore
TUESDAY - SATURDAY: 10 AM - 5 PM
816 HIGHWAY 41 S. • FORSYTH, GA 31
TO GREAT PIZZA
TRACK
Continued from 1C
Lucear, Campbell Brown, Damarria
Scandrett) finished as State Run
ner ups at 4:04:52. The 4 x 200m
relay team (Miah Barkley, Campbell
Brown, Anaja Lucear, Jataria Hardy)
placed 3rd in the State Champion
ships with 1:43:07.
The 4 x 800m relay team (Ella
Hoover, Abbey Stembridge, Alanna
Wood, and Jessica Goodwin) finished
7th overall. Freshman distance run
ner Ella Hoover finished 13th in both
the 800m and 1600m rim, and sopho
more Abbey Stembridge placed 15th
in the 3200m race.
For the Boys Track & Field team,
sophomore Ty Dumas earned a 6th
place medal in high jump at 6’2”.
Freshman Kaethen Bowers finished
11th in the 400m dash and 12th in
the triple jump.
Sophomore Seth Davis took 13th
place in the 110m hurdles. The Mary
Persons 4 x 400m relay team was 10
at State and the 4 x 200m relay team
was 15th.
MILLER
Continued from 1C
team,” said Miller. Miller will not only take Halls coaching
position but also his teaching position as a PE teacher at
Monroe County Middle School. He said he also hopes to
start a weightlifting program in the new MCMS gym.
Miller was the middle school boys soccer coach in Jones
County this year leading the Hounds to their first-ever
Final 4 trip. He also helped start the junior leadership
team, kind of a Junior ROTC for middle school kids, in
Jones County.
Before returning home to teach, Miller spent 3.5 years
in the Army and just finished an 8-year commitment in
the Army Reserves. The GI Bill is helping him finish his
Masters degree this summer and a certification to teach
strength and conditioning. He and wife welcomed their
third child on Tuesday. They have 2 boys and a girl.
The MP boys went 11-6-1 in 2022 going to Round 2 of
the state playoffs. Miller said he’s meeting with Hall to get
him to speed before he takes over.
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