Chickadees are tiny
birds. They also produce rather charming,
soft dee-dee-dee sounds and flit about somewhat erratically. They are by nature sociable and non-poisonous.
The chickadees
near my house have been exceptionally friendly toward me since I started
feeding them seeds regularly. Many of
them are comfortable with landing on my hand to take seeds. On several
occasions, a chickadee has landed on my head while I stood near their feeder.
For the past week
or so, around midday, I have raised my garage door, dragged a folding chair out
near my Mayday tree, and sat there reading a hardback novel in warming sunlight. I did so again yesterday. While sitting there, engrossed in a
particularly complicated passage (involving some sex), I was “attacked” by the
chickadee of death.
The bird shot out
of the nearby and landed suddenly on the top of my book as I held it in front
of my face. For an instant, I thought
(irrationally) I was a goner. I gasped
(I think the bird did, too) and pulled back from the book.
Just as abruptly
as the chickadee appeared, the bird tumbled away through the air.
—Mitchell Hegman
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