5.5x10.5 Oil on LIght Walnut
 
A female hummingbird builds a practical nest.  She fashions a tiny cup from the finest plant materials like dandelion or thistle down and fastens it into the branch with sticky spider web. Spider web may also line the nest so as the young grows, the nest expands slightly.  The outside is covered with flakes of lichen to provide camouflage.  She lays one or two eggs about the size of a bean.  When incubation starts, she strikes a balance between keeping the eggs warm and keeping herself alive - hummingbirds burn a lot of energy, so she must leave the nest frequently to find food for herself.  She manages to keep the eggs covered for about three-quarters of daylight and all night. (Where's dad?)  When the eggs hatch, the scrawny and naked babies look little space aliens with large mouths.  To feed them, mother hummer gathers nectar, pollen and tiny insects, then jabs her bill far down their throat to transfer a nutritious liquid lunch.