Siskin In The Hand

Day 67: Nothing says "Thank you for the gift" quite as eloquently as the trust of a wild bird eating out of the palm of your hand. The Pine Siskins were back this morning, three dozen strong and again following a light snow. They swarmed me as I filled the feeders, so I went back inside and got my pocket Sony camera (as opposed to the big black, scary Canon) and had no problem lifting a Siskin up from the tray to sit on my fingers. I seldom use that little camera, and predictably, the battery went flat after only one snap. In the hopes that there was still some charge left on the spare, I gently reinstalled Siskin back on the feeder (he was not particularly inclined to leave the seeds in my palm) and made another trip into the house.

By the time I got back outside, all three feeders were full of Siskins. Again, there was no problem finding one who was willing to pose. In fact, there were a few disputes over prime position, and at one point, I had three in hand, one on my wrist and another trying to entangle itself in my hair. Then a Chickadee swooped in and the Siskins flew off. A few minutes later, they were back, coming at me from all sides. Now if these photos don't make you feel all warm and glowy with Christmas spirit, nothing will.