I have been lucky enough to see a few active Rufous Hummingbird nests. The female starts looking for a safe place for the nest few days after coming up north. She does all the work after mating has taken place. From building the nest to raising the next generation. And rarely everything goes smoothly, dealing with the weather and predators. Predators may include a squirrel and various birds. But rufous are tough, I have seen one go after a Common Raven, who was too close to the nest. A Common Raven can weigh as much as 1.6 kg. Rufous? Grab a nickel, put in your hand, that’s close to the weight of an adult Rufous Hummingbird, 5 grams. If you have a penny, you got half a Rufous hummingbird. Those are hard to find. Including half a hummingbird. I wanted one picture to remember the whole experience, this was it. It was a few days after the eggs had hatched, early in the morning, just me in the area. The female had returned to the nest, I looked around to make sure no one was in the area, pulled out the camera and took the picture. Afterwards, she sat on the nest, I walked away.
