Little Treasures

As I gather materials for a new display, I'm impressed by the diversity of our humble little collection of nests and eggs representing just a couple dozen species of local birds. The nests vary in shape and material, from packed semicircles of mud and grasses to loose clusters of dead leaves. Interwoven with striking blue and green ribbons, a house sparrow's nest looks like an avant-garde piece. Meanwhile, a perfectly circular robin's nest and three cyan-blue eggs are absolutely mannerly. 

This house sparrow nest was constructed with interwoven twigs, grasses, and some blue and
green ribbon. Feathers are artfully incorporated into the nest as well.

The collection has fewer eggs than nests, but they too vary in size, shape, and color. I've supplemented some of our missing species with replica eggs, which are expertly crafted to mimic the qualities of real eggs. 

So, while I wouldn't normally chance picking up a ruby-throated hummingbird egg with my bare hands, I have taken the opportunity to handle a replica. Hummingbirds, being so little themselves, make eggs about the size of a bean. Handling such a small egg, I've had to be careful not to fumble and drop it. When compared to the equally Lilliputian nest consisting of fragments of lichens, mosses, and bound by spider silk, it's clear that these little treasures are one of many amazing displays of avian diversity. 

At just about a half-inch in length, a ruby-throated hummingbird egg (or two, or three)
easily nestles into an equally tiny nest, constructed in the crook of a tree branch.