In writing Hummingbird Nest: A Journal of Poems, I found I had many questions as I watched our Anna's hummingbird build her nest and raise her family in the little tree on our back patio. When do the babies' eyes open? What does the mother feed her hatchlings? How long will they stay in the nest? 

And, since I didn't know much about hummingbirds, I contacted experts across the country, read piles of books about hummingbirds, and visited some fascinating sites.

Scroll down or flit around to discover some of my favorite resources:

 

Links to Information about Hummingbirds 

A Teacher's Guide to Hummingbird Nest: A Journal of Poems by Mary Lou Meerson, Educational Consultant (Adobe Acrobat file)

Teaching ideas from Time for Kids (pages 11 to 13) (Adobe Acrobat file)

"From Building to Hatching: Books about Nests" by Jacqueline Davies — A terrific bibliography and sidebar about writing Hummingbird Nest.
(Permission to reprint "From Building to Hatching: Books about Nests" by Jacqueline Davies (Volume 14, Number 2; November 2004 issue) granted by Book Links: Connecting Books, Libraries, and Classrooms, published by the American Library Association.) (Adobe Acrobat file)

Bird Lesson plans from ProTeacher

Egg to Fledgling Countdown with thought-provoking questions for students from Journey North: Engaging Students in a Global Study of Wildlife Migration and Seasonal Change. Could be used in conjunction with this photographic chronicle.

Mrs. Reddick's Hummingbird Garden at Dixie Elementary in San Rafael, CA

Operation RubyThroat: The Hummingbird Project - provides students across North America and Central America with opportunities to engage in meaningful scientific observation and research

Wildlife Habitats on School Grounds - including some with hummingbird gardens

National Wildlife Federation - Send a hummingbird e-card

Web Cams - See what's happening in the bird world live via video cameras from:
      Costa Rica  Colibrícam, 
      Idyllwild, CA  James Reserve Nature Observatory 
      Indianapolis, IN  Wild Birds Unlimited FeederCam

Students:  Doing a report on hummingbirds? Here's some free clipart you can use.
 

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Information

Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology - information on Anna's hummingbirds and a downloadable file of the sounds of an Anna's hummingbird

San Diego Natural History Museum - information and photo

Sounds of an Anna's hummingbird from the University of Michigan Museum of Zoology

Photographs

An Anna's Annual Arrival

Countdown! Hummer Eggs to Fledglings - click on the thumbnails to see a larger picture

The Hummingbird Diaries - click on the animated hummers on the bottom of each page to follow the chicks' development

John Donch - series of photos of an Anna's hummingbird who built a nest on some wind chimes (includes some great pictures of the fledglings testing their wings)

Beth Kingsley Hawkins has some gorgeous images of hummingbirds on hummerlady.com as well as gift cards.

Ron and Peggy Reed - photos of an Anna's hummingbird nest

Ben and Cheryl Miller - wonderful digital photographs

Steve Davis - photos of an Anna's hummingbird, her nest, and babies

Sierra Foothills Conservancy - photos of an Anna's Hummingbird on her nest and feeding

Humbaout Hummingbird Photography

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For Adults

A Field Guide to Hummingbirds of North America (Peterson Field Guides) by Sheri Williamson. Houghton Mifflin, 2002.

[Video] Hooked on Hummingbirds by Thomas H. Kaminski 

Hummingbirds: Beauty in Flight by by Karen Krebs

A Hummingbird in my House:  The Story of Squeak by Arnette Heidcamp.  Crown Publishers, 1991.

Hummingbirds:  Jewels in Flight by Connie Toops.  Voyageur Press, 1992.

The Hummingbirds of North America by Paul. A. Johnsgard. Smithsonian Institution Press, 1997.

[Video] Hummingbirds of North America (John Vanderpoel's Advanced Birding Series). Scripted by Sheri Williamson. Narrated by Jon Dunn. Peregrine Video Productions, 2003

Hummingbirds of North America: A Photographic Guide (AP Natural World Series) by Steve Howell. Princeton University Press, 2001.

Hummingbirds:  Their Life and Behavior  A Photographic Study of the North American Species Hummingbirds:  Their Life and Behavior  A Photographic Study of the North American Species by Esther Quesada Tyrrell.  Photographs by Robert A. Tyrrell.  Crown Publishers, 1985. 

The Secret Lives of Hummingbirds by David Wentworth Lazaroff.  Photographs by Paul and Shirley Berquist.  Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum Press, 1995

Stokes Beginner's Guide to Hummingbirds by Donald and Lillian Stokes. Little Brown and Company, 2002.

The World of the Hummingbird by Robert Burton. Firefly, 2001.

The World of the Hummingbird by Harry Thurston. Sierra Club Books, 1999.

For Young Readers

Dancers in the Garden by Joanne Ryder.  Illustrations by Judith Lopez.  Sierra Club Books for Children, 1992. 

A Dazzle of Hummingbirds by Bruce Berger. Blake Publishing, 1989.

Hummingbirds: A Beginner's Guide by Laurel Aziz. Firefly Books, 2002.

Hummingbirds: Jewels in the Sky by Ester Quesada Tyrrell.  Photographs by Robert A. Tyrrell.  Crown Publishers, 1992. 

The Hungry Hummingbird by April Pullye Sayre. Illustrations by Gay W. Holland. Milbrook Press, 2001.

It's a Hummingbird's Life by Irene Kelly. Holiday House, 2003.

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