A Gardeners Forum Forums General Discussion Hobbies, Crafts and Creativity The Bird Lovers Forum Chickadee-dee-dee thrill for me.

I have a couple of chickadees that will fly towards me and/or Marton if the feeders are empty, perch very nearby, and give us a 'whats up with no seed?' look. One or two have even landed on the feeders as I bring them out to hang them up, filled.
So, I get an idea! Marton works for a company that makes medical training dummies. CPR, obstetrics, etc etc. I asked him if there is a reject hand can he bring one home. That way the birds will learn to eat out of a hand and maybe i can hand feed them.
On friday he brought me home a hand! He put the fake hand in the branch near the platform feeder to get them used to the sight of it. Then yesterday he attatched the hand to the tree where we hang the feeders, and put some seed in its palm. The nuthatch was the first brave bird to land on it and take some seed. As well as a few others.
So this morning I think, instead of bringing out the feeders, why dont I just go out with a handful of seed, put it in my cupped palms and see if Dee-dee (I call the chickadees dee-dee's) will take his breakfast from me. AND IT WORKED!! I stood near the fake hand and stayed still staring at my palms, and down came little dee-dee, landed on my fingers, kept looking at me to see if I was going to try to eat him, took a seed and off he went. Then another and another and a couple more! It was Soooooooo CoooooooL!! Yeah, it could have been the same one returning for another seed, but when 2 came at once then i knew there was more than 1 taker.

Wrennie that is so COOOOOL!!!!!!

What a neat idea you had! So glad it worked!!

heres the hand with a dee-dee on it.