The Craftiest Workshop

I have been away in Saskatchewan visiting family. I find it hard to get centered enough to write while I am away from home.
Before going on my trip I was feeding the birds and squirrel a bit of extra food in case my husband was not on time filling the empty feeders and offering peanuts. One day while out feeding the chickadees peanuts, I noticed a lone White Breasted Nuthatch coming closer and closer looking quite interested in approaching my outstretched hand.

I decided to see if I could get it to come to my hand. The first step was to place unshelled peanuts close to where it was sitting in a tree. It didn’t take long for it to come down and grab one.

The next step was placing my hand right next to a branch so it could be on the branch but extend its beak to take a peanut.

These two steps took a lot of patience and standing still in -20° weather. Birds are less wary and willing to take more chances when they are cold and hungry.

It took me a few days to get the Nuthatch to attempt landing on my hand. I used my walking stick as a landing pad initially so it could get used to flying and landing.

From there, when I moved my hand just far enough away, it had to hop onto my mitten to get to the peanuts.

Once it got the hang of it, it was flying from the tree directly to my hand. It became difficult to go for much of a walk for a few days after. The Nuthatch would follow me all around the property making its “mawk mawk” sound and wanting to come to my hand for peanuts. If I tried to ignore it, it would nose dive me and swoop just past my head. I created a bit of a monster.

It was interesting for me to feel how much heavier the Nuthatch is compared to a chickadee. I would say it weighs about three times more than the average chickadee. It’s claws too are much larger too as it needs long Spider-Man like claws to grip when it constantly hangs upside down on trees.

I have been hoping for a Blue Jay to eat out of my hand but, given their size and weight, I can understand their hesitation. I think that will be better off trying to coerce one of the Downy Woodpeckers that graces our feeder. They have let me get pretty close and I think a small suet cake on my hand might be just the right thing to entice them.

I am still feeding the squirrel leaving shelled and unshelled peanuts on the wall of our firepit area. The day before I went on my trip, there was a second squirrel that came to the yard for a visit. I am not sure if it was my female friend that left in early fall or a different squirrel. All I can tell you is that the male that resides in our shed was not happy with the intrusion and let out a long shrill chattering. I am hoping to see second squirrel as the days get warmer.

I tried calling some chickadees while I was in Saskatchewan. They came almost right away to the tree above my head. Had I had any peanuts, I am sure they would have come to eat. If you want to start trying to get a bird to eat out of your hand, the chickadee is your best bet, especially in cold weather.

It is mating season for the chickadees now and they are already less and less interested in coming to my hand. It won’t be long before I can stop filling the feeder all together as bugs begin to emerge. Another month or so I would say. Spring is on the way!