“I also think a misconception about hummingbirds is that they are loners. And, for the most part in my experience, this is true with my resident hummingbirds who stay year-round in the backyard. They tend to keep to themselves and avoid eye contact, except during mating season. But for the travelers, which is what I call the migratory hummingbirds: I have noticed a camaraderie between them. It has been said that all of these birds travel alone on the migratory route, sometimes as far north as Canada, and as far south as Mexico. I don’t think that they travel alone. Every year the rufous hummingbirds arrive in our yard: they all arrive on the same day. “
“I think the main draw for bird content is that people don’t know as much about interactions with birds as they do with other animals such as cats and dogs. So there is something mysterious about people who are able to interact with birds. But it’s not a special gift that I’ve been given, it’s the idea that if you show an animal that you hear them and you see them. They will begin to interact with you. The most important thing that you can do if you want to interact with anything in the natural world is to express kindness towards them.”
“Show them that you do not mean any harm. The best way to do this is to speak quietly and move slowly. If you want to make friends with the birds in your yard, become part of the scenery. Take a book and go and sit at a table outside and set your hummingbird feeder on the table 4 feet away from you. And every single day sit out there at the exact same time until the birds realize that you are just another creature in the backyard. This is how I started to get the hummingbirds to hand feed from me from the little hand feeders filled with sugar water. It takes time. But it’s definitely worth it.”
“I managed to make friends with some wild, cottontail rabbits in my yard, and I’m able to hand-feed them as well. And that was accomplished in the same way that I got the hummingbird comfortable with me. I just became a part of the scenery.” You can find more of her work on Instagram and Facebook. And if you want more bird memes, Bored Panda has got you covered, check out our previous article on this topic.
