For a few weeks now, I’ve had a feeding station here by the window where I work. Every day, the dark-eyed juncos and chickadees visit. As they got more used to seeing a human, I brought the table closer. Currently, they eat less than two feet away, and don’t startle when I move around, or crank up the music.

The juncos aren’t particular about their food, but they do bully the chickadees, which outnumber them. Seldom do the chickadees eat on the spot, they take their food elsewhere, frequently dropping it, necessitating more visits. I haven’t had time to take pictures lately. Some days I forget to put out fresh seeds, seeing all the leftovers.

This bothers the chickadees no end. If I don’t get sunflower seeds or peanut bits out there, they take to flinging the more common birdseed about, aiming, it seems, directly against the window. Naturally, this gets my attention, and I go put more stuff out. Sometimes they hang around very close by, watching.

In this way, they have trained me very quickly.

note: most of the photos that appear here are low-res. One day, I will put up a photo site, but meantime, if you want to purchase anything, please contact me.