'Dee-dee Training

Day 351: After having a 'Dee-dee sit on my hand for thirty seconds while sorting through the black-oil seed to find the Perfect Seed (and discarding every other one, I might add), I decided it was time to take it to the next level. There were a few considerations I felt might cause the experiment to fail: one, that they normally eat out of my right hand, and two, that I would have to use my flunky little Sony point-and-shoot because I can't operate my "real" camera one-handed. Using a tripod was out of the question. The 'dee-dees would surely be frightened by it. As it turned out, my little friend here was very cooperative, not only staying in place long enough for me to get several photos, but coming back for seconds. I now know for certain that I have at least two 'dees who will come to my hand, having twice witnessed the second bird's arrival just as the first flew away. Meanwhile, the Nuthatch is becoming curious, sometimes hanging upside-down from the feeder to my left as the 'dees bravely perch on my thumb. So far in my life, my wild avian contacts include Grey Jays (unavoidable if you spend any time in the backcountry), a hummingbird who helped me water the garden by alighting on the hand holding the spray nozzle, Pine Siskins, and Chestnut-Backed Chickadees (no Black-Capped yet). A Nuthatch would be a real coup!