A bird in the hand

I've been putting a bit of food on the gazebo railing for a while now. 

I will need to clean and fill this feeder soon as there has been some road rage lately. 

The squirrels ate the food further away from me 

Leaving the chickadee no choice but to sidle closer to me. 

He kept coming back so I put my hand over the seeds. 

The first time he took the seeds in front of my fingers. 

But when they were gone he hopped onto my fingers. 

Those pictures were taken with my iPod. Next I put the shorter lens on my big camera and kept trying. Not easy shooting blind and with just my left hand. 

Mostly I shot this circus while I kept my right hand still. 

Then the squirrels decided they might want to eat out of my hand too because they can't stand being out of the loop. 

So close. He actually touched my longest finger before drawing away quickly. Closest a squirrel has ever come. 

I think if I'd had a peanut in the shell he would have snatched it. 

To be clear, there were peanuts elsewhere. This was for sure a grass is always greener thing and to keep the chickadee away. 

Excuse the left handed blur. 

I'll try again with the big camera. The trick is to establish one spot close to me. I've noticed that individual birds make the same approach to the feeder. They stop at the same spot on the gazebo before they fly to the feeder every time they come. Obviously I can't tell them apart but I knew my bird by where he landed on the gazebo then considered and came over to me. 

When not bullied away by Mr Grouchypants here of course. 

On the way home I noticed this chap. 

He let me get closer and closer. 

Some of my friends had followed me and were ticked off that the buffet was over because we were close to a building now. 

Quite a highway. 

Harry was keen on a daylight walk today. 

You can tell I'm waiting for him to go when I take a lot of shots of grass and sky. 

Patience is a real virtue in cat walking. 

This crow was crazy noisy.