Hummingbirds:

 When we lived in S. Colorado, we had a particular hummingbird that we called Henretta, and she was always the first to arrive each year. We knew it was Henretta because she had been chased into a window and I carried her around for a long time waiting for her to recover. When she did recover, she ended up with a palsy which made her stand out from the other hummingbirds.  She was the first to arrive and the last to leave. 

This year she arrived just as we received 30" of heavy wet snow. She would feed and then perch on a shelf under the eve's where she could enjoy the sun and was protected from the elements. Homesteading remotely like we did we were able to better connect with the birds and animals. 

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Henretta lived a very long life for a hummingbird and one day I noticed she didn't look very good and she perched on her normal place at the feeder. I stood there with her as she took her last breath. I talked to her as she died and then gently took her down and buried her in a place that was special. Even something as small as a tiny hummingbird can hold a very special place in your heart.