Into the Woods with Curio: Hand-Taming Chickadees

Every winter I try to hand-tame the chickadees that are visiting the bird feeders in our backyard. This involves using shelled peanuts and shelled sunflowers as treats, and offering them on my bare hand when I go out to fill the feeders. I wait with my hand outstretched to see if any of the chickadees, (or any other bird species) are hungry enough to overcome their fear and land on my hand to take some seeds or a peanut.

I have had mixed results over the years. Some winters the birds don’t hesitate to come to me for some food. One winter I had a red-breasted nuthatch come to me right away when I went outside. I believe it must have been hand-tamed by someone else to be so bold.

This winter I have a few chickadees coming to my had every day, though they are a little cautious, and not all of their family group is willing. But it is rewarding to hear the sound of their wings close-up as they move from branch to branch, calling back and forth. Then they hop onto my finger or thumb, (they don’t seem to weigh anything) grab a seed, or sometimes two or three, and dart away to enjoy it.

Last winter I met with very limited success, despite numerous efforts. Whenever I was attempting to lure one of the resident chickadees to my hand one of those in the group would sound a scolding call, and all of the others would then refuse to come to my hand. It didn’t matter how long I stayed there, trying to keep perfectly still. It was very frustrating, but I had to give up, as it wasn’t changing. It may be this particular bird was overly cautious, or maybe it previously had a bad experience with another person.

It’s all a matter of trust, and the analogy is obvious. I have learned, and am still learning to trust God for His loving care. I have no reason not to, as His love is amazing – giving His Son to die for my sins so I could be forgiven and have everlasting life! Yet I still hesitate every day to continue to trust Him for all my needs, despite His everlasting faithfulness.

If He takes care of the birds He will surely take care of my needs…

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.” Hebrew 13:8

Hand feeding wild birds at your bird feeder is a fun activity to try with your family this winter.

You’ll need a bird feeder located outside in your yard, and filled with wild bird seed. Black sunflower seeds work well. If the feeder is new to your yard, it may take a few days for the neighbourhood birds to find it and get used to it

The secret of success with hand feeding wild birds is to have the birds come to you for food rather than the feeder. Empty the feeder the night before of all but a few seeds. Then watch in the morning for feathered visitors coming for breakfast.

Dress warmly when you go outside to try hand-feeding them, and have some shelled sunflower seeds or shelled peanuts as treats. Only one or two people should try this at any one time.

Stand close to the feeder, hand outstretched and full of tempting treats. Be patient. Soon the birds, overcome with hunger, will give in. A soft rustling sound of wings, the light grip on your fingers – success! You will have fed a wild bird.

Try to keep still and quiet, letting the birds come for a few more seeds before going in to let others try, or, once finished, filling the feeder with food.