The Chickadees in High Park ignored me all summer, but today they surrounded me!

As I paused on a path to take an autumn photograph, a Chickadee fluttered beside my ear – and then another flapped against my camera-holding hand. Then, in a flash of feathers, there were suddenly 3 in the nearest bush, staring me down with their intense cuteness.

But I found myself strangely without sunflower seeds – in either of my coat pockets – so I was relieved to find that my bag of homemade trail mix had pumpkin seeds and shelled peanuts.

Yes, Chickadee claws seriously tickle my otherwise-numb, ukulele-weathered fingertips! I can even see a dent from a larger Chickadee’s grip moments before this tiny sweetie took her turn.

She was tentative and waiting deep in the bush, but came closer when I began to speak encouragingly. When she finally landed on me (seen here), she sat there for a long time, giving me a look that so help me said, ‘you forgot to break up that last peanut.’ She was right!

She eventually jumped into the palm of my hand and grabbed a piece of pumpkin seed, which she ate in a nearby bush. When she came back and found that I’d broken the peanut in two, she quickly snatched half and flew like a rocket to a faraway tree.

When I came home, I put a handful of sunflower seeds into each of my coat’s pockets…