Growing up in Switzerland Melanie Barboni had a dream: She wanted to see a hummingbird. When she arrived at UCLA three years ago as an Assistant Researcher in Earth, Planetary and Space Sciences, she placed a hummingbird feeder outside her office window. She now hosts more than 200 of these tiny jewels every day.
Melanie’s relationship with the hummingbirds has grown so much that she now recognizes about 50 individuals and has given them names. And though her research involves volcanoes and rocks, her nickname is the “hummingbird whisperer.”
Why watch hummingbirds?
As Melanie says, “I mean, look at them. It just makes you happy!”
Read the full story here on UCLA’s website.
(video from UCLA on YouTube)
Just delightful! Thank you.
well, I can only say it makes me happy when I see the hummingbirds at my feeder, I can only imagine how happy it would make me to see 200!
What a delightful happy message! Thank you.
I love hummingbirds! But my hummers don’t share like hers do…and this summer has been the biggest Hummingbird War so far!! Tho, I have to say, that IS fascinating, too!!! I’m in Hawaii right now, and I just realized this morning…no hummingbirds in Hawaii!! So sad!! I just love my hummers!!
Thanks for sharing, Kate!!
Thanks for sharing! What a nice video.