• Friday-What'sUP October 5 - 05:28 pm

Many folks comment on the friendliness of the people that live in small towns and having just returned from San Diego, I can attest to that as truth. In the cities, people don't just "strike up" a conversation with a stranger. Heck, even the birds here UP North are friendlier. You can find that out if you have enough patience and steady hands, like Ashley Byykkonen demonstrates here in a photo of a Chickadee eating out of her left hand, while her right hand snaps the shot. I wonder how long she stood like that before the little bird trusted her enough to land right there on her fingertips? If he all of a sudden got skittish, he could have flown off and hid in the Green Bay Packer birdhouse that Ashley's Mom, Judy Byykkonen captured. From what I understand, Judy is a big Packer backer, so it's only fitting she'd have some late blooming green and gold in her flower garden too, right?

I'm not positive, but I think the bottom photo is a shot looking down (or up) the Traprock River, correct me if I'm wrong, Judy. No matter which river it is, it's a brilliant display of colors in the Keweenaw.

Such a cute picture of my favorite bird!

I just love chickadee's. I wish I had Ashley's patience to just sit there and wait. I could do without the Packer's birdhouse though. LOL I hate to admit it, but I'm a Lions fan. The mums look good though. And the colors on the river are gorgeous. Thanks for the great pictures this morning.

chicka-dee-dee-dee-dee, can't you just here them singing as you walk do a path. i do miss that sound. i think its time to move back home.

Great pictures! It's amazing that a wild bird would eat out of a person's hand; how cool! And, the third picture is just gorgeous, with the brilliant fall colors including green, along a river bend (ok, so it is a stream bend)...Thank you Ashley, Judy and Mary.

The Byykkonen ladies have great taste in both photography and sports. Another bird that gets very friendly and will eat from your hand is the Gray Jay...aka Canada Jay....aka Lumber Jack....and several other monikers. The bird house is fanatastic! Let's hope the Pack can live up to the standing this season that's painted on the house, although I feel they're still too young a team to beat the best of the best in the NFL this year.

Great photos Mom and Lil Sis!

That third picture is absolutely wonderful..makes me homesick:(

Nice photos, looking to be up there to see the colors...Hope the weather hangs in there...

Hi
I have been at a couple of parks where the chickadees have been acclimated to feeding from the hand. One is Kensington Metropark, a bit east of Brighton off of I-96. The park staff sells seeds. The chickadees will not only feed from your hand, they will keep their eye on hikers; if you pause to take in a view they will come in close looking for a handout. If you do go there & try it, I've found it works best if you stand very still, near some cover that can retreat to, with your arm fully extended.

The other place I've fed them is at Hartwick Pines State Park. It was winter; again, the park staff supplied you with seeds, but you then stepped out a the porch at the visitor center. However, the poor little guys were frantically hungry, lined up along my arm and jockeying for position. I supect that they used to have a bird feeder but someone wanted to attract more tourists; but I don't really know if that's so.

Yes,Mary, that is the Traprock River. The fall colors are always so spectacular in Traprock Valley. It makes one want to share that with others but ,really, it is almost impossible to capture the true beauty that is out there with the limitations of a camera.

I did not mean to leave you out, Judy. Sorry. I love your autumn picture with the brilliant color over the river bend! Thank you!

Where is the Traprock River and Traprock Valley?

Wonder where Judy got that Green Bay Packer birdhouse?

i certainly hope mr dungy does it again his year ---i remain walter

I have a Michigan "1976" license Plate bird house in Red White and Blue.I purchased mine at a Art street festival in the Soo. They had all kinds. My sister Gloria, was born in Georgia so I purchased her one with a white and green license plate from Ga. I have had mine for close to 15 years. They hold up very well to the weather. I did have a nest of wasps make it their home once. That was nasty to get them out of there. Talk about eviction. Thanks ;-)for the link to the Z-Mans pic. Wow, I didn't know what I was missing. Every one is a beauty.

KathyL: I was at Hartwick Pines visitor center this summer. Wanted to see the Evening Grosbeaks reported there. The feeders are down below the porch on trees in the gorge! Saw several Purple Finches there that day and couldn't get a good photo though of them. No Evening Grosbeaks to be seen but the staff said they were earlier that day!

I set up my video camera at the living room window, looking out under the feeders. It took about 20 minutes, but I was patient. Several of the chickadees lit on my hand and took seed to the lilac bush to eat. This was a couple years ago. It was pretty cold and I had a hard time standing still. :o) How does one get pix from a video cassette? I don't have the equipment.