Hummingbirds are among the fastest and smallest of birds, but they鈥檙e attracting a lot of attention online thanks to a B.C. man who has found a way to get up close and personal with the tiny creatures.
Vancouver Island resident Eric Pittman set up a real-time web camera in his Esquimalt backyard five years ago in order to monitor a hummingbird nest here.
And he鈥檚 been filming ever since.
鈥淚t started in June of 2009,鈥� Pittman wrote on . 鈥淚 saw a hummingbird feeding her chick while sitting on a small branch in our yard. I grabbed a camera and quickly pulled it out and took a few hurried photos.鈥�
The birds flew away, but Pittman discovered their nest when he returned to look for them a few days later.
鈥淚 was amazed that the nest was barely four feet from where I sat,鈥� he said. 鈥淯pon inspection, there were two chicks in the nest. I grabbed my video camera and began filming.鈥�
With his video camera, Pittman is able to show the hummingbirds鈥� 鈥渆ntire cycle, from their mating dance in the sky, to the nest building, the eggs being incubated, the chicks being fed and eventually flying.鈥�
Pittman has become somewhat of a hummingbird expert after having filmed about 60 nests, from egg to flight. He says he鈥檚 been approached by BBC Wildlife to help film a nature documentary in Alaska.
Watch the Hummingbird Live Cam:
