Talking to your birds

[Thomas Maddox]

Do you? Do they respond? I do it. Hopefully it makes them feel welcomed.

[C.C.Martins]

Yep, say hi guys! Just me, doing my normal stuff. They just fall silent for a second and then go back to normal. Let me go about my stuff, I think its important. Ill change hummingbird feeders near them, pull weeds and generally be around. let them know I'm harmless and be just a second.
It changes when they have chicks about to fledge, then they alarm call, im some sort of threat and the toleration is down to nothing. Funny how it changes.

[Jones4381]

Love it...I've assumed all PM advocates do from my short time participating within this community. I talk to them like a distant HS or College friend...its good talk i promise you.... but not to personal like with your most trusted confidants. They didn't see to like me to much last year as I didn't hang out enough close to them (pole 100 feet plus from home) but this year I got a garden growing 60 feet away and a walking trial that goes right under neath the rack...so I'll get a little more personal this year

[Kegger]

Peace and tranquility ends with the slam of the lanai screen door around 8am. I give them my 2 tone whistle warning
before turning the corner walkway and stepping onto the deck. At this point they are a foot or so elevated and when
standing and leaning on railing I am 10 ft. from their housing. I keep my flats boat gunnels a foot above the deck so nest
changes are eye level. I whistle and put a foot on the gunnel, we speak a little, another whistle and we are on the same
level. All Martin eyes on me and their quiet. Any closer I get the Martin wings start flapping and all the alarms are tripped.
I might just have to do something quickly or check on something ; all or most fly a lap around the yard and come back and
land , sometimes I am still standing on the boat within 10 ft. or I have stepped off. The Martins and I trade the 2 tone chirp and
my whistle while they are in flight around my lot.

[tor]

Of course I talk to them. Right up under the racks. They just quiet down for a while when they see and hear me, then that racket starts back up when I walk off.

[Badger]

Almost every morning I sit about 20 ft away from my 2 poles with a cup of coffee and enjoy them. When I walk up I stop a little ways back and stand there for a few sec so they will see me and I say "It's Just Me". Then I go to my chair and sit down and watch them. The older birds know me and they just watch me walk by. The new ones fly off and come back in a couple in a few minutes. When I leave I make sure I walk around the poles and stop a few times and talk to them so they know I mean them no harm. I do this in the evenings to. It does not take long for the Martins to recognize me from other people. Good luck with yours. . .

[Mudflap]

I talk every time I'm near them just so they can hear my voice. I'm sure they recognize me, but I figger if they can't recognize I'm not a threat at least they hear me coming and aren't startled when I pop up.

[Zheeeem]

Well heck yeah. They live in a T-14 at one end of our vegetable patch, so every day when I'm out gardening I talk to them. They will occasionally fly by to see what I'm up to.

[birdman in buckhead]

yes, I talk to them, but mostly I sing to them. They seem to like singing better than talking - makes sense. I also talk back to them in their own tone with the click click click the males do. They all get quiet when I do that. Maybe they're trying to figure out where the new male is it?? After a few seconds they go about their regular conversations. I'll try to post a video of me doing that

[dsonyay]

Talking to Purple Martins is fine.. I have no problems doing that… I’d be a bit worried if anyone says theirs actually talk back.