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FIELD NOTES: Checking off an item on bucket list with a bird was well worth it

It is such a gratifying feeling to check off an item on one's bucket list. One morning a couple weeks ago, I realized I hadn't yet put food in my birdfeeders. My little feathered friends get mad if I fail to serve them their breakfast on time, and they usually let me know it.

As I went outside with a cup of seeds in my hand, most of the birds on the ground under the feeders flew away; all except one tiny chickadee who waited in the nearby birch tree for me to fill the feeder.

But I did not. Instead, I put some sunflower seeds in my hand and extended it and talked to him in low soft tones. For a moment he stared at me, looked at the empty feeder and then the food I was offering.

After a little hesitation pause, the chickadee flew down and landed on my open hand. I was ecstatic and a bit shocked as I felt his tiny claws wrap around my fingertips. He quickly grabbed a seed and flew back to the birch tree to peel and eat it. I simply remained still and lo and behold, he came back for seconds. 

My thoughts were like, "I have communed with nature" and "I have bonded with my brother the chickadee."

I've wanted to do that for decades and I was on Cloud 9 the rest of the day.

Although I regretted not having my camera then, I managed to repeat the scenario a day or so later with a camera in my other hand.

Then came this final thought: if this same God whose eye is on the sparrow and feeds the birds of the air, will He not more certainly provide for you, oh ye of little faith?

Sometimes it's not the 10 point buck you harvested, or the monster bass you caught, but rather the fleeting moment captured in your mind, that provides the memory of a lifetime.

Do you have a story from your time in the field, out in the woods or fishing from a stream to share? The Sun-Gazette welcomes your submissions for the Outdoors section in a segment entitled Field Notes. With an emphasis on local content, the Outdoors wants to hear from its readers. Submit your Field Notes by email to sports editor Jon Gerardi at jgerardi@sungazette.com or general manager Anthony Segraves at asegraves@sungazette.com