Young Purple Finch

Day 263: Friends joke that my birds have me trained well. If I am working on the computer, they perch on the shepherd's-hook directly outside the window and stare at me until they get their point across: the feeder is empty, and we're hungry. If I'm sitting with my back to the window, they'll fly carefully forward so that they can flutter their wings against the glass until they've drawn my attention. And because I am so well-trained, I lay down whatever project is in my hands to go and deliver another round of black-oil sunflower seed. The Grosbeaks (especially the Black-Headed Grosbeaks) are the most likely to make demands in this way, although other species do it as well, including the Purple Finches (Carpodacus purpureus, above) are adept at it as well. I've even had a Northern Flicker communicate in this way when there was no more suet in the wire basket! The Chickadees land on the seed can (or my head) as soon as I step out the door. The Nuthatch isn't quite that brave, but often has to be told to move over so I can refill the tray. But as any good trainer knows, there must be some reward, and this is mine: little feathered friends posing for portraits, cute as they can be.