In a world that rushes, the hummingbird teaches us to pause midair. That certainly seems to be the case for anyone passing through the Ritz-Carlton Rancho Mirage. Guests may not be able to use their usual entrance, as one doorway has been blocked off for the uninterrupted work of nature. In an almost unheard-of incident, a tiny hummingbird, as adorable as they come, built a nest on the door handle of the upscale Ritz-Carlton Rancho Mirage, one of Greater Palm Springs’ flagship luxury resorts. One expects elevated desert views, meals at a cliffside steakhouse overlooking the valley, and a sizable spa, but a tiny hummingbird taking control of a doorway was certainly not on the list.
Interestingly, the Ritz-Carlton sacrificed convenience for wildlife, not the other way around, which is what the world is more accustomed to. In fact, the hotel went a step further, effectively turning the nest into a five-star sanctuary, commanding exclusive space on the arrival door and transforming it into protected habitat, as seen on a social media post.
For an elite hotel to surrender a guest touchpoint to a bird smaller than a golf ball deserves applause, and such sweetness is hard to come by. Having said that, there is more to this than kindness alone. In the United States, active nests of most native birds are protected by federal law. It is generally illegal to destroy a nest with eggs or chicks, and California also has protections against needlessly disturbing bird nests or eggs. So while the Ritz-Carlton was undoubtedly being kind and caring toward the bird, it was also being legally cautious by not harming or disturbing a potentially active nest.
As for the nest and its tiny inhabitant, hummingbird nests, true engineering marvels, are essentially breeding nests built by the female to lay eggs, incubate them, and raise chicks. They are not resting places, but sites of reproduction. It would not be surprising if this hummingbird ends up becoming a guest of the Ritz-Carlton Rancho Mirage for a good five to seven weeks. In the area around the hotel, Anna’s Hummingbird is commonly spotted, in which case incubation lasts about 16 days and the nestling period about 20 days. Another likely candidate is Costa’s Hummingbird, for which incubation runs about 15 to 18 days, while the young may remain in the nest for roughly 20 to 30 days.
That makes the story all the more remarkable. Here is a five-star property with more than 30,000 square feet of event space and a spa with 16 treatment rooms, yet its attention has shifted to the comfort of a diminutive bird in need of some TLC. As for us humans, the same stretch of time spent at this splendid hotel, with valley views roughly 650 feet below, could leave a bill somewhere in the region of $25,000. It is, after all, a very good day to be a bird at the Ritz.
Keeping the Ritz company in kindness-
His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, proved he is a nature lover through and through. When a tiny bird built a nest on his Mercedes-AMG G63 parked at his Dubai residence, the royal made sure it was left in complete peace. The adventure-loving prince even had the SUV cordoned off with red-and-white tape to protect the bird and its nest.
