Siskin Dear

Day 29: When lockdown mandates were relaxed a few months ago, Washington residents were advised to restrict their contacts to a small handful of friends. Mine included a dozen or so Chickadees (mostly Chestnut-Backed), but I've expanded my list to include Siskin Dear as of yesterday. Pine Siskins and Chickadees generally avoid each other, and I begin to understand why. Siskin Dear has made it abundantly clear that he is not to be budged from the handful of seed until he's done with his meal. The 'dee-dees hover like hummingbirds an inch or two away from my palm, but Siskin Dear doesn't bat an eye. One desperate 'dee landed on the nearly empty can of seed tucked under my other arm, holding tightly to the rim in order to dip inside for a seed. During one feeding, Siskin Dear remained on my hand for a full five minutes except for a ten-second flutter as my neighbour drove out, and I would swear that tiny little bird packed away at least 100 seeds without a noticeable bulge appearing in his crop. Meanwhile, our surroundings were filled with the sound of loudly expressed Chickadee cuss-words, and several beat their wings through my hair in an effort to draw my attention to them. This is hardly the first Siskin to perch on my hand, but with each one, I feel privileged in the experience.