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For my presentation at the Museum of Life and Science “Bird Bonanza” event, I chose the theme of bird nesting. I’ve done some paintings on this subject over the years and have enjoyed exploring texture effects using modeling paste and glazed colors, as shown in this completed painting.

Snow Goose, acrylic and textural elements on canvas

Detail 

For this year’s event, I wanted to learn more about bird nest construction and materials. I recently read The Hummingbird’s Gift: Wonder, Beauty, and Renewal on Wings by Sy Montgomery, which describes the rescue of hummingbirds and includes some interesting details on nest construction. In addition to other materials, hummingbirds collect spiderweb silk to help create a soft, expandable structure for the eggs and hatchlings. The process is not without risk, as they can become entangled in the web.

I made a trip to the Naturalist Center and found a ruby-throated hummingbird nest. According to the specimen label, it was collected in Wake County in August 2006 after the chicks had fledged. The outside is "shingled" with lichen and the inside is soft fiber.

Ruby-throated hummingbird nest, Naturalist Center

My research always seems to lead me to a “next question”—in this case, why don’t the eggs or hatchlings get wrapped up in the silk? I found that the silk isn’t used in the lining of the nest, which is made of feathers and plant down. Instead, the spiderweb’s elasticity and strength help tie the structural elements of the nest together. By stretching and embedding the fibers among plant down, moss, and lichen, the hummingbird transforms a potentially adhesive material into a soft, flexible, and safe cradle for her chicks. What seemed a risky material choice turns out to be an elegant structural solution!

Ruby-Throated Hummingbird on Nest, watercolor on paper

I’m currently working on similar paintings of an Eastern bluebird and an Eastern screech owl, and am looking forward to discovering what “next questions” arise as I learn more about their nesting habits.