Spring has finally arrived, a time of new life and warming temperatures. This is the time of year when we start to see plants going back into bloom and our backyards being filled with wildlife of all kinds once again.

It’s also a time when many people enjoy getting out in their yards and gardens and doing a little work, trimming their plants, starting some DIY projects, and generally enjoying being outdoors.

However, if you’re planning on doing a little gardening in the coming weeks, you might want to read this first, as your actions could be threatening some adorable little creatures!

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has issued an announcement, reminding people to be on the lookout for teeny tiny hummingbird nests and eggs when trimming their shrubs and working in their yards.

Hummingbirds are adorable little creatures, renowned for the humming sound they make while in flight, due to the rapid, high-frequency beating of their wings.

They’re also the smallest birds known to man, with some varieties measuring up at just a couple of inches!

Since they’re so small, they can be hard to spot at times, and this is even truer when it comes to their nests and eggs, which are especially small, as the USFWS explains:

Hummingbird eggs are tiny, about the size of jelly beans! Please remember to carefully check for nests before you trim trees and shrubs this spring.

The average hummingbird nest weighs in at less than one-tenth of an ounce! That’s super small, and this is why people are being reminded to be extra cautious and check their shrubs before doing any trimming. The nests are usually made from moss, leaves, and even bits of a spider web.

Hummingbirds also like to camouflage their nests with bits of lichen, helping them blend in with their natural surroundings and be less visible to predators.

Unfortunately, the camouflaging abilities of the hummingbird can also put its nests in jeopardy as humans struggle to spot them and then accidentally destroy them.

So what can you do? Well, as the USFWS says, be sure to look out for any of these little nests in your backyard. You should also simply keep an eye on your yard for any signs of hummingbird activity. If you see a hummingbird fluttering around, it’s likely to have a nest nearby.

Remember that hummingbirds are found all over America, and they’re often attracted to human gardens as they feel safer in those kinds of well-maintained environments.

They can be drawn in by pretty, colorful flowers and birdbaths, so if you have a nice garden, it’s even more likely that you might have a little family of hummingbirds somewhere among your bushes. These beautiful creatures deserve our protection, so let’s all do what we can to keep them safe!

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