He Created a Hummingbird Paradise in His Backyard

Window salesman Eric Pittman’s life changed forever the day he noticed a Anna’s hummingbird buzzing around his backyard in Esquimalt, B.C. in the summer of 2009.

After a flurry of sharp turns caught his eye, the bird came to rest on the branch of a pear tree. It looked around to check for danger and met Pittman’s gaze, yet she seemed unbothered by his presence. Pittman looked closer. Then, two pea-sized black orbs began bobbing up and down. It was a pair of newborn hummingbird chicks. He’d discovered Sweetie Bird (as he later named her) returning to her nest to feed her babies. Overcome with curiosity, Pittman stayed under the tree for the rest of the day, binoculars stuck to his face. He bought a video camera and began filming the bird in his backyard. He hasn’t stopped in fourteen years.

Today, Pittman is a citizen scientist and hummingbird expert. But he didn’t formally study ornithology, or even any biology. His skill at capturing footage of hummingbird behaviour has earned him 50,000 followers on his “Hummingbirds Up Close” Facebook page, where he shares daily updates. The BBC Natural History Unit has even turned to Pittman as a subject matter expert when they’ve needed to film elusive hummingbirds.

The short documentary The Bird in my Backyard follows Eric throughout the spring of 2024 as he documents two mother hummingbirds raising their chicks. It’s a story about the childlike curiosity in all of us, and the doors it can open if we just lean in a bit closer.

What did you think? Please leave a comment in the section below and remember to share the video and sign up for our free newsletter!