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Jerry Pillarelli | profile | all galleries >> Travel and Nature; Sites by State >> US Travel; by Trip, by State >> Arizona >> Hummingbird Nest – Arizona tree view | thumbnails | slideshow

Hummingbird Nest – Arizona

Images of a Hummingbird Nest – Tucson, Arizona, taken in March 2025.

On a walk, I noticed a hummingbird hovering close by and stopped to watch. It fluttered and darted around eventually settling on what I would discover was its nest, hidden in a desert Palo Verde tree approximately 8 feet off the ground. I grabbed my camera, with zoom lens attached, and pulled up a chair to photograph whatever I could.

I determined that I was watching a female Anna’s hummingbird, approximately two inches long, on a flexible bowl-shaped nest one inch deep and one and a half inches in diameter, made of strips of bark, small leaves, tiny twigs, and spyder web to hold the nest together and anchor it to the tree. I learned that the mother returned to the nest approximately every 30 minutes to feed its two chicks. Unfortunately, one of the chicks died a day or two after I discovered the nest but the second chick flourished, and initially the size of a dime, eventually grew to just over an inch.

When I showed up each day to observe the nest, the mother would feed its chick and then come down to hover around me, within a few feet, as if to check me out to make sure I wasn’t a threat. On subsequent visits that same day she went on about her business without even acknowledging my existence.

Over time, as the chick grew, I watched the mother return to the nest to feed the baby many times, and was lucky enough to be watching as the chick fledged, leaving the nest for the first time (hummingbirds do not return to the nest once they leave), initially staying in the nesting tree but eventually flying to a nearby tree and back. The mother continued to feed the chick, no matter where it was, until they both flew off on the last day I observed them.

I spent a total of almost 20 hours observing the hummingbirds over 21 days, from March 11 through the 31st, experiencing some tough conditions, photographically speaking. Not only was I photographing a two-inch-long bird on a one-inch nest, but as I observed the tiny birds, the tree, with its long thin spiky branches darting everywhere, actually started to grow its tiny leaves, obstructing my direct view of the nest. Undeterred, I shot just over 2,100 images, most of which were useless, nevertheless yielding a record of a hummingbird nurturing its young chick and ushering it into adulthood. A rare glimpse of nature not often seen.
The hummingbird nesting Palo Verde tree
The hummingbird nesting Palo Verde tree		 March 11 - Mother on the edge of the nest feeding a chick
March 11 - Mother on the edge of the nest feeding a chick		 March 11 - Chicks greet their Anna’s Hummingbird mother with open mouths
March 11 - Chicks greet their Anna’s Hummingbird mother with open mouths		 March 11 - Mother feeds a chick
March 11 - Mother feeds a chick		 March 13 – Hummingbird mother sits on her nest
March 13 – Hummingbird mother sits on her nest
March 17 – Mother feeds her remaining chick
March 17 – Mother feeds her remaining chick		 March 17 – Chick being fed by its mother
March 17 – Chick being fed by its mother		 March 17 – Mother hummingbird tending to her chick
March 17 – Mother hummingbird tending to her chick		 March 17 – Chick stretches skyward anticipating a meal
March 17 – Chick stretches skyward anticipating a meal		 March 19 – Mother arrives at the nest to feed her hungry chick
March 19 – Mother arrives at the nest to feed her hungry chick
March 19 – Mother feeds her growing chick
March 19 – Mother feeds her growing chick		 March 22 – Growing chick’s bill above the rim of the nest
March 22 – Growing chick’s bill above the rim of the nest		 March 22 – Mother Anna’s Hummingbird in a nearby tree
March 22 – Mother Anna’s Hummingbird in a nearby tree		 March 22 – Growing chick is fed by its mother
March 22 – Growing chick is fed by its mother		 March 22 – Chick in the nest with mother looking on
March 22 – Chick in the nest with mother looking on
March 23 – Mother feeding its chick while it stretches its wing
March 23 – Mother feeding its chick while it stretches its wing		 March 27 – Growing chick sits on top of the nest
March 27 – Growing chick sits on top of the nest		 March 27 – Chick perks up when its mother approaches
March 27 – Chick perks up when its mother approaches		 March 28 – Maturing chick fills the nest
March 28 – Maturing chick fills the nest		 March 29 – Chick anticipates feeding as the mother lands next to the nest
March 29 – Chick anticipates feeding as the mother lands next to the nest
March 29 – Mother jumps up to the nest for feeding time
March 29 – Mother jumps up to the nest for feeding time		 March 29 – Chick is fed by its mother
March 29 – Chick is fed by its mother		 March 29 – Growing chick fills the expanding nest
March 29 – Growing chick fills the expanding nest		 March 29 – The chick fluffs and flexes its feathers
March 29 – The chick fluffs and flexes its feathers		 March 30 – Flexing its wings, the chick jumps to the edge of the nest
March 30 – Flexing its wings, the chick jumps to the edge of the nest
March 30 – The chick flaps its wings as it prepares to fledge
March 30 – The chick flaps its wings as it prepares to fledge		 March 30 – Resting on the edge of the nest in anticipation of its first flight
March 30 – Resting on the edge of the nest in anticipation of its first flight		 March 30 – The chick leaves the nest for the first time and lands on a nearby branch
March 30 – The chick leaves the nest for the first time and lands on a nearby branch		 March 30 – Resting on a branch after its first flight, the chick flexes its wings
March 30 – Resting on a branch after its first flight, the chick flexes its wings		 March 30 – The chick settles on its first landing spot
March 30 – The chick settles on its first landing spot
March 30 – Mother hummingbird hovers over her resting chick
March 30 – Mother hummingbird hovers over her resting chick		 March 30 – Chick stretches while on its first perch
March 30 – Chick stretches while on its first perch		 March 30 – Resting chick on its first perch
March 30 – Resting chick on its first perch		 March 30 – Chick fluffs and flexes its feathers
March 30 – Chick fluffs and flexes its feathers		 March 30 – The chick flaps its wings in anticipation of its second flight
March 30 – The chick flaps its wings in anticipation of its second flight
March 30 – More stretching and flexing by the chick
March 30 – More stretching and flexing by the chick		 March 30 – The chick ruffling and fluffing its feathers
March 30 – The chick ruffling and fluffing its feathers		 March 30 – The chick flaps its wings from the safety of its perch
March 30 – The chick flaps its wings from the safety of its perch		 March 30 – The second flight of its early life, the chick moves to another perch on the nesting tree
March 30 – The second flight of its early life, the chick moves to another perch on the nesting tree		 March 30 – Mother finds the chick on its new perch
March 30 – Mother finds the chick on its new perch
March 30 – The chick prepares to be fed
March 30 – The chick prepares to be fed		 March 30 – Fluffed chick checks out its new surroundings
March 30 – Fluffed chick checks out its new surroundings		 March 30 – After a move to a tree near the nesting tree, feeding time
March 30 – After a move to a tree near the nesting tree, feeding time		 March 30 – Mother feeds its chick after its third flight of the day
March 30 – Mother feeds its chick after its third flight of the day		 March 30 – The chick takes a meal from its mother
March 30 – The chick takes a meal from its mother
March 30 – The chick waits for more food from its mother
March 30 – The chick waits for more food from its mother		 March 30 – The chick rests on its perch in a tree near the nesting tree
March 30 – The chick rests on its perch in a tree near the nesting tree		 March 30 – Chick fluffing feathers while on its perch
March 30 – Chick fluffing feathers while on its perch		 March 30 – Sunlight bathes the chick while it fluffs its feathers and flexes its wing
March 30 – Sunlight bathes the chick while it fluffs its feathers and flexes its wing		 March 31 – Back in the nesting tree, the chick sits on a much higher perch
March 31 – Back in the nesting tree, the chick sits on a much higher perch
March 31 – The chick feeds from its mother
March 31 – The chick feeds from its mother		 March 31 – Mother feeds its chick; note, the meal now includes a small insect
March 31 – Mother feeds its chick; note, the meal now includes a small insect		 March 31 – Feeding time continues for the maturing chick
March 31 – Feeding time continues for the maturing chick		 March 31 – Chick and mother rest after feeding time
March 31 – Chick and mother rest after feeding time		 Empty Anna’s Hummingbird nest in the Palo Verde tree
Empty Anna’s Hummingbird nest in the Palo Verde tree

comment | share
Greg Temple 11-Apr-2025 19:02
Wow - I was swept away by the natural drama unfolding in full color and resolution on my screen! I have never seen anything quite like this Jerry. Thanks for your patience and generosity in sharing this with all of us!
Jessica Saak 09-Apr-2025 18:35
INCREDIBLE!!!!
Guest 08-Apr-2025 17:46
Great pics Jerry. Felt like a National Geographic documentary.
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