A bird in the hand.

Today Hubby, Piper and I went up to Rockwood Park to take pictures and see what could be seen.  Besides bumping into my friend Kattsby, we saw deer, juncoes, squirrels, and blue jays.

But the highlight of the afternoon for me was being a human birdfeeder.  The chickadees at the park are incredibly friendly -- at one point I had four of them perched on my hand, and three on my hat!  (It's amazing what some well-placed bird seed will do.)  It's always a surprise to feel how little chickadees actually weigh, and such a gift to be given the trust of something so gentle and delicate.

We stayed until our hands and feet were numb, once again counting ourselves blessed to have such wondrous natural beauty so close to home.  I hope my little friends, wherever they may be, are keeping warm this winter night.