Baby Anna's Hummingbirds

I have really started to get into birding. It's a lot of fun for me to go out into nature and try to identify the birds. Some are easier than others and some are down-right impossible to ID. I started with the bigger birds, and I am now trying to even tell the little birds apart. I have really found a passion for the hummingbirds in particular. They are so amazing to observe, everything from their irridescent beauty to their incredible speed. I have made it a sort of hobby to try and find their nests. The mother has to feed her young sooner or later. So, I try and find a female eating flies or nectar and then I watch her as closely as I can. I have now found 16 new nests in four different locations around LA. I am about to see my first two little birds leave their nest. It is so exciting watching the entire process from nest to eggs to babies to leaving the nest. Unfortunately, I have seen this process get to the babies stage and have a rain storm or small predator halt the process. Enough of that stuff, I figured I would share a few pictures I have taken of these amazing animals.

ORNITHOLOGY--- WTF???????

So, I signed up for this "BIRD NERD" class at CSUN to fulfill my field study requirement in Biology. I wasn't too excited about the class, but it fit my class schedule and the professor is a good guy. So, I said screw it, I am taking Avian Ecology! I figured I knew what each of those words meant so I was off to a good start. Then, it came time to buy my books. We needed 2 books, 1 textbook and 1 field study guide. I found the $3o.00 paperback field study guide right away. I then checked for the textbook. I was totally expecting the title to be AVIAN ECOLOGY! The only book sitting above my class number was this huge book that said ORNITHOLOGY and had a big owl on it! Now this made me feel like a total idiot, but who knows that crap. So, needless to say, I now know WTF ORNITHOLOGY is!! By the way, this $105 used book is a ripoff too. How and the hell did my family not get into the textbook business. WHAT A SCAM!!!