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Why is eastern Pheobe trying to follow me into my house? I'm in a wheelchair so want to know if I have to worry or not. (1 Viewer)

syd2915

syd2915

Steph Della
United States
Hi everyone I just started having an eastern pheobe hang out in my backyard a couple months ago. I don't know if it's male or female, but it's always looking at me like it's curious and doesn't know what to make of me. Now it perches within a few feet of me and today it landed on my head for a quick second. I went inside after it flew off and it tried following me and sat right in front of the screen door. I'm in a wheelchair so I can't make a quick escape if it tries to attack me. I assume it's a good sign that it doesnt find me as a threat since it landed on my head very softly but just wanted to know any signs I should look out for and if I'm most likely safe when he/she's close to me.? It also landed gently on my head for a quick second before flying off and trying to follow me inside
 

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syd2915 said:
Hi everyone I just started having an eastern pheobe hang out in my backyard a couple months ago. I don't know if it's male or female, but it's always looking at me like it's curious and doesn't know what to make of me. Now it perches within a few feet of me and today it landed on my head for a quick second. I went inside after it flew off and it tried following me and sat right in front of the screen door. I'm in a wheelchair so I can't make a quick escape if it tries to attack me. I assume it's a good sign that it doesnt find me as a threat since it landed on my head very softly but just wanted to know any signs I should look out for and if I'm most likely safe when he/she's close to me.? It also landed gently on my head for a quick second before flying off and trying to follow me inside
Click to expand...
Looks like you’ve got a friend Syd, hopefully you won’t find your Phoebe to intimidating.👍
 
syd2915 said:
Hi everyone I just started having an eastern pheobe hang out in my backyard a couple months ago. I don't know if it's male or female, but it's always looking at me like it's curious and doesn't know what to make of me. Now it perches within a few feet of me and today it landed on my head for a quick second. I went inside after it flew off and it tried following me and sat right in front of the screen door. I'm in a wheelchair so I can't make a quick escape if it tries to attack me. I assume it's a good sign that it doesnt find me as a threat since it landed on my head very softly but just wanted to know any signs I should look out for and if I'm most likely safe when he/she's close to me.? It also landed gently on my head for a quick second before flying off and trying to follow me inside
Click to expand...
It sounds as though it was probably raised by a human or a humane society so it doesn't seem to have any fear of you and probably looking out for a free handout of some goodies to eat :)
 
KenM said:
Looks like you’ve got a friend Syd, hopefully you won’t find your Phoebe to intimidating.👍
Click to expand...
Thanks so much i feel less nervous now. I have alot of birds that come into my yard and I'm used to some of them getting within a couple feet but never land on me haha it made me a little nervous , I think mainly because I wasn't right in front of me when he/she did it maybe? Pheobe needs to do baby steps with me. First the hand then shoulder then maybe the head haha
 
KC Foggin said:
It sounds as though it was probably raised by a human or a humane society so it doesn't seem to have any fear of you and probably looking out for a free handout of some goodies to eat :)
Click to expand...
That's very cool. Im a little less nervous now, i wish the pheobe could give me a heads up before just landing on my head lol .He/she recognizes my voice because everything I'm in the backyard talking or whistling the pheobe shows up within a matter of minutes.
 
I have never heard of a phoebe attacking anyone. They often nest very close to houses (look underneath a balcony if you have one), including mine.
I think your gardening is stirring up small insects which are it's favorite food; that's why it's following you.
They often find a perch not far off the ground do they can swoop down to catch insects struggling to fly up from the grass, then return to the perch to rest while they watch and wait. Your head is about the right height.
If the bird gets inside, leave the door wide open and lower all the windowshades, then just wait quietly.
 
Last edited:
syd2915 said:
Hi everyone I just started having an eastern pheobe hang out in my backyard a couple months ago. I don't know if it's male or female, but it's always looking at me like it's curious and doesn't know what to make of me. Now it perches within a few feet of me and today it landed on my head for a quick second. I went inside after it flew off and it tried following me and sat right in front of the screen door. I'm in a wheelchair so I can't make a quick escape if it tries to attack me. I assume it's a good sign that it doesnt find me as a threat since it landed on my head very softly but just wanted to know any signs I should look out for and if I'm most likely safe when he/she's close to me.? It also landed gently on my head for a quick second before flying off and trying to follow me inside
Click to expand...
Every year for the past 3-4 years I have had a Phoebe follow me around the garden, usually when I was digging. Every few minutes it would fly to the ground pick up a grub or insect and fly back to its perch. Some years this has happened wtih 2 or 3 different birds at different times. It seems that Phoebes have this behavior as an instinct for feeding like cowbirds or cattle egrets follow cows around.
 
UPDATE: for the first time a couple weeks ago the pheobe flew directly at my face on 2 different occasions. I'm not sure if it was trying to land on my head again but I put my hand in front of my face and it flew into it (my hand was about 6 inches away from my face when he made contact) then flew back to a bird bath that's about 10 ft from where I was sitting. He loves Teasing my dog by trying to land on her back all the time lol. Even though she kind of whips her head at him to say "get off me" it doesn't deter him from doing it again and again. He always shows up and stays close to us when we're outside and always looks like he's thinking "hmm...how can I get even closer " haha. I don't mind him being close by at all, I just don't like that he flew directly towards my face twice.
 
syd2915 said:
UPDATE: for the first time a couple weeks ago the pheobe flew directly at my face on 2 different occasions. I'm not sure if it was trying to land on my head again but I put my hand in front of my face and it flew into it (my hand was about 6 inches away from my face when he made contact) then flew back to a bird bath that's about 10 ft from where I was sitting. He loves Teasing my dog by trying to land on her back all the time lol. Even though she kind of whips her head at him to say "get off me" it doesn't deter him from doing it again and again. He always shows up and stays close to us when we're outside and always looks like he's thinking "hmm...how can I get even closer " haha. I don't mind him being close by at all, I just don't like that he flew directly towards my face twice.
Click to expand...
I think you simply have a caring good heart and the Phoebe knows this.
 
syd2915 said:
UPDATE: for the first time a couple weeks ago the pheobe flew directly at my face on 2 different occasions. I'm not sure if it was trying to land on my head again but I put my hand in front of my face and it flew into it (my hand was about 6 inches away from my face when he made contact) then flew back to a bird bath that's about 10 ft from where I was sitting. He loves Teasing my dog by trying to land on her back all the time lol. Even though she kind of whips her head at him to say "get off me" it doesn't deter him from doing it again and again. He always shows up and stays close to us when we're outside and always looks like he's thinking "hmm...how can I get even closer " haha. I don't mind him being close by at all, I just don't like that he flew directly towards my face twice.
Click to expand...
Animals don't like being blown on?

You kind of want to dissuade it from getting too close without any kind of cruelty etc. Try letting it land on your hand, then bring it closer to your face and blow on it or something to annoy it ... (of course it may well like it, in which case you're even more screwed ... ;-) )
 
dantheman said:
Animals don't like being blown on?

You kind of want to dissuade it from getting too close without any kind of cruelty etc. Try letting it land on your hand, then bring it closer to your face and blow on it or something to annoy it ... (of course it may well like it, in which case you're even more screwed ... ;-) )
Click to expand...
Haha he is
dantheman said:
Animals don't like being blown on?

You kind of want to dissuade it from getting too close without any kind of cruelty etc. Try letting it land on your hand, then bring it closer to your face and blow on it or something to annoy it ... (of course it may well like it, in which case you're even more screwed ... ;-) )
Click to expand...
A couple weeks ago I was in the yard and held a few seeds in my hand then lowered my hand a few inches from the ground while the pheobe was standing on thr ground a few feet away, he flew to my and bit my thumb Real quick then immediately flew away haha
 
StarSong7 said:
I think you simply have a caring good heart and the Phoebe knows this.
Click to expand...
I wish I wasn't such a wuss haha I think the thing that makes me uneasy at all about it is since I'm in a wheelchair he's pretty much eye level with me whoever he lands haha . I have titmouse that fly on the table next to me all the time and I'm not a wuss when they're hanging out with me so I'm just weird I guess lol the only difference is that the pheobe landed on my head one time and the titmouse just chill next to me
 
syd2915 said:
Haha he is

A couple weeks ago I was in the yard and held a few seeds in my hand then lowered my hand a few inches from the ground while the pheobe was standing on thr ground a few feet away, he flew to my and bit my thumb Real quick then immediately flew away haha
Click to expand...
I wish I wasn't such a wuss haha I think the thing that makes me uneasy at all about it is since I'm in a wheelchair he's pretty much eye level with me wherever he lands haha . I have titmouse that fly on the table next to me all the time and I'm not a wuss when they're hanging out with me so I'm just weird I guess lol the only difference is that the pheobe landed on my head one time and the titmouse just chill next to me but I don't really see why that would matter since the titmouse are less than 6 inches from me anyway
 
Do you at least have (corrective or other) glasses so that it doesn't accidentally fly into one of your eyes?

I read Eastern Phoebe Life History, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, and it says they only rarely eat grain. I'm not sure if feeding it won't make the problem worse (?), but it could be more willing to eat cheese, except the cheese needs to be low in lactose for birds (protein from cheese would then maybe be a sort of equivalent to protein from insects):
Still, it would be probably safest not to feed it from the hand (if at all) now that it bit you once already.
 
01101001 said:
Do you at least have (corrective or other) glasses so that it doesn't accidentally fly into one of your eyes?

I read Eastern Phoebe Life History, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, and it says they only rarely eat grain. I'm not sure if feeding it won't make the problem worse (?), but it could be more willing to eat cheese, except the cheese needs to be low in lactose for birds (protein from cheese would then maybe be a sort of equivalent to protein from insects):
Still, it would be probably safest not to feed it from the hand (if at all) now that it bit you once already.
Click to expand...
01101001 said:
Do you at least have (corrective or other) glasses so that it doesn't accidentally fly into one of your eyes?

I read Eastern Phoebe Life History, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, and it says they only rarely eat grain. I'm not sure if feeding it won't make the problem worse (?), but it could be more willing to eat cheese, except the cheese needs to be low in lactose for birds (protein from cheese would then maybe be a sort of equivalent to protein from insects):
Still, it would be probably safest not to feed it from the hand (if at all) now that it bit you once already.
Click to expand...
I had a theory as to why he nipped my finger . You know how the say when you feed animals you should keep your thumb tucked in? I didn't do that so I thought maybe he thought the tip of my thumb was a bug or something. He loves hanging out around my dog and me . I wish they could talk!! Haha
 

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