I was outside photographing the beautiful icy trees yesterday when this Chickadee grabbed a peanut and landed a foot from my face in a nearby shrub. I didn’t have any gloves on because I had only intended to be out in the below-zero-windchill conditions for a few minutes. I didn’t want to scare the Chickadee so I held still for several minutes snapping photos. Eventually my fingers started to go numb and ache, so I had no choice but to move.
The little bird didn’t care one bit. He just kept pounding away at his peanut. He was so close that I could’ve snatched him up and brought him inside with me to warm up. Instead I thrust my hands in my pockets and started talking to him. He wasn’t the slightest bit frightened. The moment I could feel my fingers again, I lifted my camera and pushed it within 8 inches of him as he continued to eat. I even got to see his little Chickadee tongue.
Eventually I couldn’t stand the cold any longer. I pulled back my camera and started climbing over a snowbank toward the house. The Chickadee stopped eating for a moment and watched me, but he never moved from his perch.
