Spring is here!
And how do we know?
Well, the hummingbirds are
starting to appear after
a winter down south.
And here to talk about
that is my special guest...
Good morning
spring watchers!
Birders right across the
Americas are in a twitch.
Our favorite teeny tiny
fliers are travelling.
That's right, the first
sightings of hummingbirds!
Have you got
your feeders out?
The Hummingbirds are
coming your way!
I just love
these birds, how can you not?
The smallest birds in the world.
Mumma's are
starting to nest
so what are you waiting for?
Bird lovers; get your feeders up!
Got on board a westbound
seven forty-seven
Didn't think before
deciding what to do
Oh, that talk
of opportunities
TV breaks and movies
Rang true, sure rang true
This is Beverly
Hills, Wasabi.
See that park?
See all these trees
and flowers?
Someday this will
all be yours.
That's right, Wasabi.
You were born lucky.
I'm going to own all this,
and I don't even
have any money.
It never rains
in California
But girl, don't
they warn ya
It pours
Someone says
"Get off my property."
You can just give
them the bird.
It won't be long, girl.
Another month and
you'll be out here,
and you can have
it all because
it's yours.
I'm underfed
I want to go home
It never rains
in California
Alright it's
time to talk hummingbirds!
And where did you go
on summer vacation?
Some travelers heading up from
Mexico and Central America,
some moving all the way
through to Canada!
Might be traveling
through your yard
this very instant.
Hummingbirds
can be
hurt by all manner of things.
Cats, tree trimmers,
even windstorms.
And here to talk about that
is Terry.
She runs a
Hummingbird hotline.
Since 2008
she's received more
than 20,000 calls.
Life in Hollywood with
a hummingbird rehabber
is absolutely fascinating.
Did you see that
guy? Jesus-
Oh my God, stay on your
own side of the road,
no need.
Oh, sh*t.
Wasabi, I'm sorry.
What happened?
Oh, sh*t.
I'm sorry, Wasabi.
That was awful.
Here sweetie, come on down.
Here, baby, come on.
It's okay.
You're good.
You're safe.
You're totally safe.
It's
delicate and emotional work,
you've got to be
calm and steady.
and it requires a good
deal of comfort with
failure and loss.
But if you do it right,
it flies away at the end.
I actually
found an injured hummingbird
this morning while
I was going for a walk,
and I picked it up
and it cannot fly.
And are they awake?
One of them
is, but one of them is
still sleeping, but
it's waking up.
Sleeping is
not sleeping.
Sleeping is unconscious, okay?
So try to get them here
as soon as you can,
and that one has to eat.
Hi, this is Terry calling
you about the hummingbird.
Sorry for
bothering you on Mother's Day.
Oh no, no worries.
I'm without children.
Well, I guess I
shouldn't say that.
I have hummingbirds, so.
Wonderful.
Well, basically,
Alex, yeah,
we need to fix this or
he's not going to survive.
Yeah.
And you probably
sense that, right?
Do you think
it was a baby?
- Yes.
- Oh, okay.
It's like baby
season or something?
It sure is.
His eyes
stay closed a lot.
And have you seen
the mother today?
Yeah, I have.
Okay, let's try the
shoebox remedy then.
Hi, guys.
It was an honour to
make the crochet nests.
I saw this quote and
thought you might like it.
"Volunteers are unpaid
not because
they are worthless,
but because
they are priceless."
Oh, I like this one.
This is good.
These will be very useful
when more nestlings come in.
They kind of taunt you
and they'll hover and
look right at you,
and you think,
"Why is he looking at me?"
And you wonder why?
Why do they do that?
Why are they attracted to us?
And then they're-
boom, they're gone.
When you see how vulnerable
and helpless they are,
you wonder how any
of them make it.
Their lives depend on me.
When they come in,
they're damaged,
they're injured.
If I don't do everything
right, they die.
Okay guys, let's go.
Oh, there you go.
Sidney, you made it.
She made it.
Hi, Sidney. How are you?
Hi. It's so nice
to meet you.
Nice to meet you.
Thank you for bringing-
- Oh, of course.
- We got to get them inside
right away in there.
- Okay.
Come on in.
Come on in, Sidney, and
bring your treasure.
I was thinking
of what to name them
when I was up here.
- Well, that's up to you.
We can call them
the Sidney twins.
Cute things.
- I know,
they're so adorable.
- Come on, baby, open.
How old do
you think they are?
Because I know
they've been in my-
They're about
two-and-a-half weeks.
Oh, really?
Yeah, and
their mother,
obviously, has not been
there all day today.
So she probably
got k*lled last night.
This is the peak season,
April through July,
so it just starts
coming rapid fire.
So how long have you
been doing this for?
Oh, don't ask.
- Oh, okay.
- No, 15 years.
18 years, actually. 18 years.
- {Sidney] Oh, wow.
See now, look, this
is fascinating.
Look at this.
There are human hairs
in this nest.
Really?
And it's a blonde.
It must be me.
This was in your yard?
- Yeah, so I-
- This is your hair.
I don't know how
they got my hair.
It is. It's long
blonde hair.
That's what-
- There's no one else blonde.
No, they would
get it out of-
That's your hair.
They would get it off
of the dryer vent.
Oh, really? Oh.
Mm-hmm, that's your hair.
Wow.
So the mother was
mining your hair for her-
Oh my gosh.
nest.
They're looking for
spiderwebs, too.
You saved them yeah.
All good babies.
Oh, I'm
so happy that
they're both going to be okay.
They will.
- Yay.
- There's no doubt in my mind
that they'll make it.
Oh, awesome.
Thanks to you.
Without you, no.
Without you.
Without us.
It's so tiny.
You think, "Wow,
that nest will never
accommodate grown birds."
But that nest expands
with the growing birds.
It's pretty amazing,
and then, of course,
they decorate the outside
with paint chips.
So I always know what
colour people's houses are.
Okay, Jimmy,
let's just get calm here.
You've had too hard of
a day, haven't you?
Look at you, you're
just a mess.
So Jimmy was found
under a tree,
and he fell out of his nest.
There you go.
Now here, here, come on.
That's right.
He's still a baby.
Most likely his
mother was k*lled.
Because I'm the surrogate now
he will wait for this syringe.
He's dependent.
His wiring tells him
to remain dependent
for another week or so.
Mm-hmm, we hear that.
He's not happy being alone,
and you can tell
because he cries.
Hi, Jimmy.
Hello.
Hello.
He just went like...
Right now he looks sweet,
he looks innocent.
But Jimmy eats aggressively,
and he wants a lot of insects.
He has potential to be
a real tyrant.
I believe that
Jimmy will grow up
to be a very
successful hummingbird.
We just
put him in a shoebox.
We thought we were
going to transport him.
He'll be DOA
if we transport him now.
What we can try to do is
revive him with sugar water,
and if you can
get him stabilised,
then I'll take him.
- Okay.
But I think
we should try-
obviously, his mother's
not feeding him.
Oh, gosh. Okay.
Go ahead and do that
and I'll call you
right back, okay?
Okay. Thank you.
Thank you.
Nick, what's up?
The hurt
one on the
windowsill opened its mouth-
- Okay, okay. Oh, he-
so, Nick, he's not hurt.
He's just young.
Hold on, I've
just got some guys here.
Guys, let's all listen
to what we have to do.
I'm trying to do the sugar
water to see if he can see it
and see if he can fly to it.
- No, no, she won't come down.
This is a female, by the way.
How do you know?
Because the females
are the only ones
that come into the
houses to get spiderwebs
for their nests.
And they just want to go up,
up, up or into the light
and they can't find
their way out again.
Okay.
If we don't do something,
she will sit up there
and die up there.
I've seen it a hundred times.
- Can I speak?
- Yeah.
My friend here,
Alejandro is here
and he can speak with you.
I have
a question, Terry.
I was listening to you
talk about the paper bag.
Yes.
The goal
is to try to capture it
within the bag and-
- Right.
In a sense, we have
to, you know,
agitate her out of
that skylight.
What you do is you very
slowly move the bag
around the skylight
behind the bird
and no fast motions-
- Got it.
but you very slowly
move it around
and try to get the
bird to go into the bag.
Nothing fast or quick, because
then she'll get damaged.
- Yep.
- Okay.
Unfortunately, all of these
birds are nesting females
and they have babies.
So that you're saving three
birds instead of one.
You could hear the thumping,
you could hear the wings
slap up against it.
I saw the bird, frantically,
just going from side to side
and it just kept
hitting itself.
I put this little net
over the bird,
and then whenever it decided
it had enough energy,
it would start flying again.
And eventually it flew in
and just like you heard
the tiniest little thump.
It went
onto the paper.
And I was terrified.
I thought maybe I'd
k*lled it or injured it.
Terry told us to take
it into the sunlight.
And of course, like
any great film,
we went out and as soon
as the sun touched it,
its little eyes opened up,
and I had the opportunity
to observe this little
creature breathing in
and breathing out the
same way that I do.
She tilted her head,
and took off so fast.
And it's so full of
life force.
When you get a wounded
or a hurt hummingbird,
a downed hummingbird,
it's too much for people.
They just feel like
I'd be a monster not
to help this creature.
I use the term co-parenting
because then they
feel an investment.
He laid on the bed with us
for a couple of
hours this morning.
It was really cute.
I'm going to miss him.
Seriously, I'm
going to miss him.
Me too.
Hey, now you have
lots of friends.
Aw.
He looks so cute.
Maybe Charlie's
going to be a miracle.
Look at you little
guys winger-sizing.
He's trying.
Yeah, he is tough.
Look how this one's
mock-feeding the other baby.
Oh.
It's such
maternal behaviour.
Isn't that amazing?
Wow.
You're witnessing
something that's super rare.
She's just a baby herself.
She doesn't have any food,
but she's practising.
Yeah, I was reading that
female hummingbirds are some
of the best mother
birds on earth.
They are very, very
loyal, very strong.
Look at that.
Isn't that amazing?
Wow.
She is so maternal.
I'm shocked.
There you go, girl.
Good.
Come on. Come on.
Come on.
Here, Cactus, come on.
Here you go.
Usually, wing injuries
don't improve.
But yeah, Cactus has
strong spirit.
She had hit something and
then fallen onto her back
onto a cactus, and got
thorns stuck in her back.
My family calls them spinas.
These spinas like
sticking out of its back.
I came across a man who had
his hands kind of cupped.
And I just instinctively
was like,
"What, you know,
what do you have?"
And I looked and there
was a little hummingbird
in his hands.
So I was like,
"I can take the bird."
And he was like,
"Yes, like here,
I just found it in the dirt."
Terry asked if
I would be comfortable taking
the little spinas out.
Just give it a little pull.
And I did.
Knowing that you have this
other little creature
to take care of was
like, okay, wait,
there's actually like
a little life here
that needs you so
that it can survive.
That tickles.
This is where you get
attached to birds like this.
But she's got
multiple injuries.
It's pretty grim.
Her wing is hurt.
Can you go over to the feeder?
Can you get in my palm?
She's done with me.
I'm just going to let you
rest for a little while-
have some food.
You need lots of rest time
before you get too ambitious,
'cause you can
re-hurt yourself.
My dreams were very prosaic,
and they were very American.
There were about 20
kids in my class
because it was a small
rural elementary school,
and our teacher asked
us to draw a picture
of what we wanted to
be when we grew up.
So all the girls drew
nurses and moms,
and the boys drew firefighters
and farmers and
basketball coaches.
Terry drew
a person with a beret,
like a French beret,
and then the teacher came by
and she said, "What's this?"
And I said, "Well, I-
it's like an artist,"
and she said,
"Oh, you mean
like a painter?"
And I said,
"No, not exactly.
I'm not sure."
My parents did not encourage
any artistic endeavours
because that's
just so uncertain.
You know, you'll be broke.
You could be homeless.
My parents had nothing.
In Southern Wisconsin,
it's mostly just hard work.
Hello.
You're sticky?
I'm going to wash you.
That's good.
You're doing
the right thing.
She probably would've
been okay
if they hadn't dumped
sugar water all over her.
But now, I don't know.
I can't be sure
whether she'll recover.
I don't know.
Because sugar water
strips feathers,
and they've gotten it
all over her wings.
I know, baby.
I'm sorry about
what happened to you,
it wasn't fair.
Damn it. People.
They call me and say,
"Oh no,
now what do we do?"
Well, now that they've
possibly ruined her,
but they had to let their kids play
with her all weekend.
So this is what you get
with self-centered people.
It's okay.
I mean, these people,
I know exactly
what they did.
She has holes in her wings
where the sugar water
desiccated the feathers.
When I touched them,
they felt like-
they felt crispy.
So she wasn't like that
when they found her.
The wing feathers
are destroyed.
Now, if you think
a hummingbird
can fly without wings,
good luck to you.
Do you think people
are honest with us
when they want
us to take a bird?
It just is sad for
her, you know?
She pays the price.
And here's the bottom line
about this kind of thing.
It's not just this one bird,
because what this attitude
shows about finders like this
is indicative of a whole
way of viewing the world
that a lot of humans have.
The natural world is
treated this way
writ large.
So it's not just
this one bird.
This one bird is a mirror
of their attitude
toward all of nature.
There's no respect
for the wildlife here,
and I don't want her
to suffer anymore.
She's already paid
a heavy price
for falling into
the wrong hands.
I'm not going to let these
people off the hook by saying,
"Oh gosh, they really tried
hard" because they didn't.
They lie.
But I was lied to in this
situation more than once,
and nobody likes that.
But if they think-
if they think I'm
that much of a fool.
It's an offence to be treated
like that much of a fool
when they lie
to me like that.
I'm not that stupid.
I know exactly
what you did.
Why lie?
I wasn't big on trust.
I was not raised
in an environment
where you could
trust anybody.
So you were on your own.
I call it my
nail-biting childhood.
I was a very perfect child
until I got into college.
I knew there was
something wrong,
but I couldn't identify it.
I just felt it all the time,
"There's something wrong.
You're not right.
You're not okay."
I was lost,
and was very wild.
Yeah, just, you know,
the usual
addictions and outlets.
There are certain chemicals
that reveal things to you.
You know what I mean?
They opened up a
new world to me
that made me realise
how narrow and
defined and
colourless my world
growing up was.
I understand why
my parents
wanted me to
have a secure job.
I'm not going to say
which one's the best choice,
but I couldn't put the yoke
on and go that way.
You know, people think that
staying on course is scary.
Try having the whole world
and infinite possibility
in front of you.
It's terrifying.
I'd never been to a
city like Los Angeles.
This was like going to
another planet for me.
Suddenly, there are no rules.
There are no boundaries.
Hummingbirds live
in the moment.
They just live for now.
And that's perhaps the
greatest lesson
that a human could learn
from any wild animal.
I wrote a book about the
hummingbirds.
It was wonderful.
Yeah, that's the
ticket, baby.
Perfect.
It's a little
hanging perch.
All the hummingbird
requirements are included
in this structure.
This is a high-end condo,
that's what we're
talking about here.
So this is
Mikhail and Alexa's new cage.
Mikhail and Alexa are
just happy together.
Alexa, she was hit by a car.
Mikhail, he was a little bit
sulky at first,
but then he met Alexa
and he fell in love.
He taps her chest
with his bill,
and he taps her toes
with his bill,
and he snuggles up
to her at night.
They're very close.
Not all birds
like each other.
If hummingbirds don't
like their immediate company,
they will k*ll them.
I have a picture of
two dead hummingbirds,
and it's a
male and a female.
I'm like, "Whoa.
That was a serious
interaction,
even though they're
different species."
I mean, they were all beat up.
You could tell they had
done it to each other.
He's been obsessed with Alexa
for the last week or so.
The chances of
Mikhail succeeding
with Alexa are pretty low.
I don't know if Mikhail knows
that Alexa is a
different species.
Alexa tolerates him.
So that's a love story
we need to explore further.
I went to school forever.
I have four graduate degrees.
It was almost an obsession
of always living
in the future,
looking to the future.
But what changes
you are the things
that come, that hit you
out of the blue
and gobsmack you
when you're not
expecting it.
It's like everyone says
when they fall in love.
It's like I went home.
When I met him, I
felt like I found my home.
That's the only way
I can describe that.
In a lot of ways, we
were just the same animal,
under the skin
we were the same.
Frank, he was
incredibly brilliant.
He was a rebel.
He was kind of
a Renaissance man.
Frank would wake
up in the morning
and say, "I'm going to
start a dive business."
Two weeks later, he
had a dive business.
And he'd write a book
and he'd get nominated
for a Pulitzer Prize.
He was an extremely
competent human being,
that was pretty attractive.
I mean, anybody you
love changes you.
If you give yourself to
someone emotionally,
they always change us.
They always alter the
way we see the world.
I know I changed him.
He was very supportive
of the birds.
At first, he didn't get it,
but he was happy
to let me do it.
You know, he had
his own thing, and so
it worked out pretty
well for us.
Good girl.
You did it.
This is my little finger.
That's the size they are,
that's my little finger.
Oh look, you're feeling it.
Feeling those bugs.
The twins' enthusiasm
is growing.
They are feeling it.
They're doing a lot of
itching and scratching.
I'm thinking maybe
they need some sunlight.
They get some nice vitamins.
This may help them
to start flying.
Hello?
Hi Terry.
This is Sidney.
I dropped off the two
babies the other day.
Yeah, they're doing great
Sidney.
They're sunbathing right now.
Aw.
They're sitting out
here in a little pile.
They're having fun?
They're in with
their new crew.
Oh my gosh.
Yeah, no, they're happy.
Hopefully, they'll
start flying,
and then we can
move them through.
Are you going to
release them in Beverly Hills?
Yes.
Oh, they're at least
a month from release.
Awesome.
It takes a long
time to bring them back.
Well, 'til then
they will just be living
in hummingbird paradise.
Yeah, they're moving up.
Hummingbirds seem to have
an unusually magical,
sensational quality.
How can anything spin its
wings 50 times per second
and not tap into some
magical realism?
How can something
fly vertical,
sideways, backwards,
and upside down
and not trigger those ideas,
those feelings in people?
There's nothing
else like them.
Most birds are birds.
They flap their wings.
Hummingbirds, no.
Perhaps shouldn't even
be birds per se.
Okay.
Oh, wait a minute.
Wait right there.
I'm going to check you
and see what's going on
with your wings, okay?
It's okay. You're safe.
Can you sit up on here?
That's right. Hold on
to that now.
Okay. Hold on.
Come on.
Yeah, that's right.
Do you feel that?
Come on.
Come on.
Come on.
Her wing rotation
is extremely low.
She's only going halfway.
Cactus it's okay, baby.
Unfortunately, she's
been here a week.
They start to age in the ICU,
and then you know
you're in trouble.
What is it, Cactus?
Why don't you just go?
She can feel the falling,
but now she can feel the air,
the breeze moving her,
and she wants to
take to the wind.
But this doesn't happen
in an uninjured bird.
The wing will not settle
in front of the perch.
She's too old to not
be flying at this point.
She should have
flown a week ago.
I'll be honest with you.
When a bird is...
when they don't have much
hope, I try not to bond
because it's too painful.
I mean, I care about
this bird a lot.
She's a nice little bird.
So I'm going to give
her some more time.
I mean, she's not horrible.
I've seen much worse,
but it's not promising either.
Cacti.
Who's a nice girl?
She'd fly away if she could.
Let's be clear.
Hello?
Hi, this is Terry
returning your call
about the hummingbird.
Oh, yes, Terry.
So for the last
couple of weeks,
I've been seeing
this white hummingbird
from a distance.
Well, this morning I went
out there to water,
and it came right up
to me about maybe
two feet from my face.
And it's white
with pink eyes.
I've never seen anything
like this in my life.
Absolutely beautiful.
Yeah, they are.
They're incredibly rare.
Like, they're like unicorns.
Even if it's
flapping its wings,
it's completely white.
Yeah, I believe you.
They're remarkable creatures.
Raisin is a very
handsome bird.
When I got him,
it didn't seem
that Raisin would make it.
He has a head trauma.
Most rehab centres would not
keep a bird like Raisin.
But Raisin flew a
little bit yesterday.
He flew out the ICU door
and flew about six feet,
but not vertical.
Vertical flight is
extremely difficult.
So right now, Raisin's
on the lower perch.
Our goal is to get him
to fly to the higher perches.
Whether he can do it or
not remains to be seen.
They're going against gravity,
which requires
vertical flight.
Most birds can't
do that at all.
He wants to fly very badly,
and I hope that he will.
I mean, he's not defeated.
I've seen birds who
were defeated.
He doesn't have that look
of defeat on his face.
When you open the window,
they can hear and
feel the wild.
See, immediately,
he responds
to the air and the sounds.
It gives him a sensation
that he's in the wild,
that he needs to fly.
And that's why the best
rehab is in outdoor cages.
Every step that advances
them is good.
It's so great to
see them in here.
Oh my God, this is like
paradise for a hummingbird.
It's insane how
perfect it is.
Rehab birds need time
in the aviary for
training and to grow up
just to mature.
They need to learn
to sleep outside.
And so some of the perches
simulate real-world branches.
They have an
array of flowers,
and more space to fly in so
that they build up
more strength
and more muscle,
and learn how to
fight with each other.
Because that's an important
part of hummingbird
experience.
How to defend themselves.
You have to really ensure
that they're ready.
You've got to break
that dependency
before you let them
go into the wild.
No one else will protect you
in the hummingbird world.
Yeah. Did you do a 360?
Can you do a 360?
Can you?
He said, "I was born
to be on film."
That was a 180,
that's not bad.
But that's not a 360.
He is really becoming
a bird now.
He's really showing off.
He is preening for us now,
so he can look good
for the camera.
Jimmy is a character, actually.
That was good.
See, if we did that,
we'd go down to the
ground and fall
on our heads,
on our backs.
But he was able to
catch himself
because he can spin
his wings that way.
Jimmy will double his
weight in rehab.
So he's probably about
two grammes now.
He should be four by
the time he leaves.
This is Club Med.
And when we let him go,
they're going out into combat,
you know, into a w*r zone.
There are no rules-
you know, for saving
creatures
and wildlife out in
the natural world.
The natural world
is a combat zone.
There's no hope if
you're not aggressive
because it's everybody
for himself or herself.
And when they see
weakness, that's a target.
It's their instinct
to eliminate
the competition at
all costs.
When I first got him,
he was awake-
- He's hurt, yeah.
- and he was flapping
around a lot and I
didn't want to leave him.
Did you
see him-?
You've never seen him fly.
He hasn't flown,
no, not at all.
No, he's not
going to.
- Oh, he's not?
- For now, for now.
His back is hunched,
that's swelling from
a spinal injury, so.
He's not going anywhere.
It's weird to know that
teenage birds are the
same as teenage humans.
Humans, yeah,
no, they are.
Not only are they
out flying around
without a lot of
experience,
but they got a target
on their back.
You know, the adult males
are after the young females
and he's competition,
so they're going to batter
him and get rid of him.
He's the equivalent
of a coma,
you know, he's not
waking up and he's not-
He likes to eat though.
I mean, he ate lot.
He's in and out of
consciousness, I
hate that because-
He was licking it off
my finger yesterday,
that was a whole new
experience for me.
The little tiny thing
coming out.
His tongue, yeah.
I mean, he will eat,
but he's not conscious,
if that makes sense?
Yeah.
He's eating kind
of unconsciously,
he can't open his eyes.
Yeah, poor buddy.
Yeah, so.
Come on, Larry Bird, pull
through, buddy.
He's just going
to need some-
at least today,
I'm not going
to do anything
but feed him and
leave him alone,
and we'll see.
I never tell the finders,
"No, he's not going
to make it,"
unless it's a broken wing
that's hanging off
and it's obvious.
You can see that
finders resist.
Most finders can't handle
the truth about nature
and the harshness of
what we consider the
brutality of nature.
Taking out the weaker ones
and preserving the
strongest birds.
About 10 years ago,
I had a dream.
I dreamt that I was walking
up this spiral staircase
that was marble limestone,
and it was all white
and a very
elegant staircase,
but a big house that was
past its prime.
Kind of run down, falling
apart.
But Frank wasn't there
in the dream.
When I woke up, I told
him about this dream,
and he said, "Well, I don't
think we're moving again."
And I said, "I don't
think so either.
It was just a weird dream."
But I didn't forget about it
because it was such a
vivid, powerful dream.
Raisin,
he's got a very
serious injury.
And he quivers and
when they quiver,
that's pain or
that's stress.
He has always looked
perfect on the outside,
but the internal injuries
are evident in his droppings.
Raisin
has been falling a lot.
And that's essentially
a decline.
That's sad.
He had a
long cognitive decline.
We were together
for 33 years.
When we met, he was the
stronger force and
he was the rock
and in the end, I
stepped into that role
to care for him.
It's one of the
hardest things
that a caregiver
will have to do,
especially when
it's someone you love.
They come and
they go, but
when you refuse to
lock them away, they know.
That's nice and soft.
When I said goodbye,
he let go
in the middle of
the night.
He heard everything I said.
When you bury them,
because their bones
are so light,
they disintegrate within
a couple of days
like they weren't even
here to begin with.
She says, "I don't
know about this.
I didn't sign up
for this."
Come on.
Put you in here.
There we go, baby.
Okay, Sugar. You ready?
You ready? Come on.
There we go.
There we go.
Okay.
You just relax.
Yeah, that's good.
That's good, sweetie.
Okay.
Let me get you
cleaned up here.
It's okay.
No, that's good.
You've got to get wet.
Look at all these
feathers coming off,
it's not going to
itch anymore.
You won't look
all punked out.
Look at you, your
little punk cut's gone.
Are you ready now?
We're going to put you
back in your cage.
Back down here.
You sit right there
until you dry, okay?
She was just a sticky
ball of dried, crusty
sugar water.
So she has bounced
back brilliantly
from the abuse that
she suffered.
By the time she hits
the aviary,
you won't be able to
distinguish her
from the others.
Hi Terry.
This is Cyndee calling.
I would love to
connect with you.
Hope to hear from you soon.
Bye.
The ones that were in
there when she came
all went into the aviary.
Okay.
They've all moved on
to the next stage.
She's past the
age, yeah.
She's passed the age when
she should be flying.
She should basically
be in a
large flight
cage at her age.
So I'm not sure.
- Oh...
Unfortunately,
she's not making progress.
How is her
head injury?
She doesn't
have a head injury now.
- She didn't.
- It's her right wing.
So if there is some kind
of fracture or injury
in the shoulder joint,
the wing...
we don't understand
how to fix those.
We don't even understand
how the wing works yet,
let alone how to fix it.
Oh my gosh.
Yeah, she's just
borderline.
She's going
to make it?
I hope so,
I'm working with her.
That's all we need, incremental.
Yeah, look at
that.
Yes, you can.
Aw, that's so
sweet.
She's a
sweetie.
She's just
such a sweetheart.
She's really nice.
Yeah.
You have feelings
for these birds
after you've had them
for a long time.
There's a certain pressure
from the finders too,
texting and asking,
"How's it doing?"
They want it to
work so bad,
and that's not always easy.
In your mind's eye,
you always rate every
bird when they come in.
You just don't tell
anybody.
It's a rehabber's secret,
because nobody wants to hear
the truth when it's bad news.
So,
Cactus?
10, 20%,
between 10 and 20%
chance of making it, maybe.
Oh...
Sugar Baby.
So sad.
Yeah, she's gone.
I think she was
just weak.
You can't address a trauma
until you know what it was.
If I start talking about
it, I'm just going
to evaporate.
But yeah, I was,
you know, I was
badly abused
and put in the hospital
as a child, and nearly died
from that experience.
Yeah, it was terrible.
That is the worst
thing that could happen
to a child, really.
What are you doing?
Maybe that's the reason that
I came to the hummingbirds.
You come ready-made
with the empathy.
You don't need
to develop it.
It's already there because
of your own struggles.
Those kinds of experiences,
you take those to
your grave.
It's so dark
and it's so painful
even now.
My mother was
a very damaged
human being and
unfortunately,
she passed that damage on.
I was angry at her
for a long time,
but in the end,
you're like,
"She had her demons and..."
We're too quick to
dismiss the powers
that other creatures have.
We have science, we have
technology, we have
literacy, but
a hummingbird's brilliance
is really...
it surpasses
language.
Cactus,
I have a new plan for you.
Alright, now, Cactus,
how would you like to do
a little flight training?
This is a magic wand.
This wand was this little
stick I got 15 years ago.
I've even cut it off
and filed the ends.
Every bird I've ever
given flight training
or physical therapy to
inside a cage was done
with this magic wand.
And it's like a
wizard's wand.
It works.
I know.
Alright, Cactus, this is
what we call physical therapy
flight training, okay?
I want you to step
on the stick.
Good girl.
Now, we're going to
raise and lower you,
maybe try doing it on
this perch, okay?
When I lower this,
I want you
to jump over there.
Can you jump over here?
See, that's what we're
going to try to do now, okay?
Okay. So step up, sweetie.
Step up. Good girl.
Can you get on there?
Can you jump?
Come on, come on,
to here.
You're really
gripping that.
You're just not
ready, are you?
Come on, yeah, yeah,
yeah, yeah, come on.
Over onto there,
onto here.
Good girl.
She's afraid to
let go.
She knows.
You know what I
want you to do.
Come on.
She is almost
letting go.
You're almost letting go,
you're almost doing it.
You know you can.
Oh yes.
She did it.
You did it.
Very good.
Very good-
yes, you should
get a reward.
Here. That was good.
Okay, we're not going
to try it anymore,
'cause I see that your
wing is quivering
and I don't want to
push it.
We're going to take a
little time off now.
You did it once, that's good.
And then you can go back
and sit for a while.
Okay?
You just stay there.
She did it.
I mean, she made a
one-inch flight,
if you can call it that.
But that's all that
she needs to do today.
I'm just proud of you,
Cactus.
Imagination is more
important than knowledge.
Now, if Einstein said that,
you know there's
something there.
I don't think we give other
species nearly enough credit
for the things that
they understand
and the things that they
can do that we can't do.
Humans always see
themselves as superior
because we have
the higher brain.
Things are not
what they seem.
You know, they can see
a flower from miles away.
When they're flying
over a canyon,
they can see a flower
from a mile away.
So they have these
perceptions we don't have.
So why are we so
superior again?
I want to know.
Jimmy is exactly
what he should be,
which is a maniac
and a relentless flier.
We don't want him to
be completely antisocial,
because sometimes that happens
when they grow up alone.
I want to see him
with some other birds.
So he's going into the
cage with the Wild Boys.
He should fit right
in with them
because they just
never quit flying.
Come on, it's okay.
It's okay, guy, come on.
The less I handle these
guys, the better.
Are you ready, Jimmy?
This isn't going
to be super easy.
So...
Jimmy, come on.
Sit.
Why don't you
land, huh?
Come on. Come on,
it's okay.
It's okay.
Come on, we're going to
move you into a new house.
Come on, Jimmy.
Come on.
Come on, Jimmy,
come on. Land.
He's like, "Mm-mm, you're
not getting close to me."
Come on, Jimmy.
Come on, come on.
Come on, come on.
I got you.
I got you, okay.
Oh sh*t.
Oh no.
Oh.
I don't have a net.
Oh crap.
Oh sh*t. Jimmy,
come on down buddy.
At some point, he is
going to tucker out.
He is good, boy.
Dammit.
You stay away from
the vent, buddy.
Yeah, that's right.
But he's not as
strong as an adult.
He's got a lot of energy.
He's going after the
flowers on the wall.
Come on, sweetie, just land.
He's running out
of steam.
Oof.
Oh.
Phew.
Done.
Done, done, done.
He's exhausted now,
but he's still flying.
Jimmy, that
was really evil.
I got to get a net.
Every step toward
the wild is scary.
Alexa and Mikhail
are doing beautiful.
Alexa looks so good.
Oh my God, she's
beautiful.
She's very
independent now.
Okay guys, come on,
let's go.
Here we go.
That's Mikhail.
That's Alexa.
I'm not lonely.
Everybody thinks
that when someone dies,
they leave you.
But they don't.
If you allow
them to stay,
their presence is with you.
Frank...
he's still around.
I feel that presence,
you know?
It's never gone.
Life is a series of
metaphors stacked up
on top of each other.
In my mind,
all the things you see
with these little birds,
it's all stuff
that we've gone through.
You know, their struggles,
their deaths,
their successes.
Good morning, Cactus.
You made it.
You made it through
the night.
Are you going to fly?
Good girl.
Yeah, can you
do it again?
Can you?
Can you show me
what you can do?
Can you do it?
Can you do that?
Did you do that?
Can you show me?
Can you show me
what you did?
Come on, show me
what you did.
Pretty amazing.
Come here, baby.
Let's try.
You almost turned.
You almost did a spin.
I did not expect this.
Can you show me?
Can you go to
the other side?
You got it made, baby.
You don't need
my help anymore.
It's a done deal.
Are you going
to fly?
Can you fly?
Come on. That's right.
That's a turn.
Punctuation mark, noted.
I'm impressed.
That's huge, Cactus.
You go, girl.
Who else is a hero?
Wasabi, we're going to move
you into a cage with Cactus,
and I hope you
guys get along.
I think you will
'cause she's really nice.
She'll be a good
mentor for you
because I know you
want to fly.
Okay, Wasabi, you and
Cactus are cage mates now.
I expect you to learn
from each other.
Cactus is such a
benevolent spirit.
There will be no trouble.
Oh.
Oh my gosh.
Wasabi, you can't
be the aggressor.
She wants to
be near her.
That's her first
vertical flight.
That's pretty cool.
Cactus, congratulations.
You're a miracle.
It's certifiable.
Sweet little thing,
I hope she can
eventually make her way
to the aviary to be
released back into
Los Angeles.
And to think like they're
going to travel so far.
They'll catch on with the
other hummingbirds hopefully
and figure out what they're
doing out in the wild
and come on back and bring
their little journeys
with them.
I hope she has a beautiful
future in front of her.
Our curse as humans is
we need to know
that we matter.
That the things
we do matter.
I always tell people
I never measure a rescue
by the outcome,
only by the compassion that
went into saving the bird.
That's what matters.
I think they're ready,
and I know I am.
They all look terrific.
I know I did my job.
Transitions are
always tense.
They know
something's up.
Jimmy is ready.
They love you and they
love you when they're young.
And then when they get
older and independent,
they hate you.
That's what we aim for.
Jimmy is pretty wild.
He's not interested in
human relationships anymore.
He's brilliant.
Oh, good catch.
That was very good.
It's bittersweet because I
feel pretty close
to this group.
Alexa is telling
Mikhail,
"When we get out
of college,
get in touch.
Don't forget about
me. Here's my number.
I expect to hear
from you."
I'm guessing that three
or four will stay.
Maybe little Charlie
will stay.
If they decide that
they don't want to leave,
I never force anybody.
They'll be totally
fearful at first.
They'll be uncertain
because in nature,
just like with humans,
damaged birds,
they carry a kind
of caution
about everything.
They know life is hard.
Hey, Cactus.
Hello.
Hello there,
I see you.
Hi. Are you
ready to go?
You know we
healed you.
You're perfect now.
Yeah, no, it's...
she's ready.
I want her to go out.
Yeah, I will worry about
her, but I want her to go.
This is always a
scary moment for me,
and I know it's over.
And it'll take them a
minute to recognise
that they're allowed.
Are you guys
going to come out?
You can come out.
This is a very obedient
crew, so maybe we don't-
Oh, there you go.
There we go.
Jimmy,
his first flight out,
he looks great.
Oh.
He just shot about a
hundred feet into the air.
People see hummingbirds,
and the first thing they
say is how sweet they are.
But they shed that skin
and they become warriors.
Come on, guys.
Come on.
Come on out.
Come on you guys.
You're free.
They're all
sh**ting out.
That's Alexa.
Oh.
Good job.
That's Charlie.
Look at him now.
He's free.
He looks pretty
adept, too.
He's fighting
with somebody.
Okay. Come on, guys.
Let's go. Come on.
Come on, Cactus.
Come on, sweetie.
Come on, come on,
come on.
Yeah, you can do it.
Come on. Come on,
Cactus.
Come on, come on,
come on, come on.
She's out and
she's up. She's gone.
I like to tell
people the truth.
And the truth is when
you show compassion
and you show love
for something
that you don't have to,
it's an act of greatness.
Don't worry
About a thing
'Cause every little thing
is gonna be alright
Singing, Don't
worry about a thing
'Cause every little
thing is gonna be alright
Rise up this morning,
smiled with the rising sun
Three little birds
pitch by my doorstep
Singing sweet songs
of melodies pure and true
Saying, This is my
message to you
Singing, Don't worry
about a thing
'Cause every little
thing is gonna be alright
Singing, Don't worry
about a thing
'Cause every little
thing is gonna be alright
Rise up this morning,
smiled with the rising sun
Three little birds
pitch by my doorstep
Singing sweet songs
of melodies pure and true
Saying, This is
my message to you
Singing, Don't
worry about a thing
Worry about
a thing, oh
'Cause every little
thing is gonna be alright
Don't worry
Singing, Don't worry
about a thing
I won't worry
'Cause every little thing
is gonna be alright
Singing, Don't worry
about a thing
'Cause every little
thing is gonna be alright
I won't worry
Singing, Don't worry
about a thing
'Cause every little
thing is gonna be alright
Singing, Don't
worry about a thing
Worry about a
thing, oh
'Cause every
little thing
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Every Little Thing (2024)
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