Rufous Hummingbirds

Look at the picture below. Notice anything? Perhaps close to the center on the right?

Here's a closer look. I found a hummingbird nest!

We have a lot of hummingbirds in the Bay area. They're always whizzing by, making little scritch-screech noises like the clashing of electronics. This was the first time I have seen a nest. I've always known that the nests were small, but you don't get a sense of how incredibly small they are until one is in front of you.

You can tell that these are pictures of rufous hummingbirds because the female on the nest has a white patch beneath her beak. Allen hummingbirds, which are similar looking and local have bright ruby throats. The male rufous hummingbirds are a shiny brown as you can see below.

I'm really excited about these pictures because both the cactus and the bird are in focus. Below is a close-up of the bird.

These pictures were all taken in the cactus section of the Botanical Garden in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco. It was FULL of hummingbirds. Here is another one in profile. If you go anywhere in San Francisco, I recommend Golden Gate Park.