Dr. Ray L. Winstead
Professor of Biology (retired), Indiana University of Pennsylvania

Blue Spruce Park Chickadees:

Feeding Chickadees Out of My Hand
near Indiana, Pennsylvania

Ray Birds - Videos
Park & Eat with Ray!
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Videos by Ray Winstead 4-2-2026.
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Videos: Park & Eat with Ray!

The videos show a common behavior of birds when I first arrive out at Blue Spruce Park to feed the birds out of my hand: Grab a Peanut from Ray's hand, Park nearby, Eat nearby in front of me, and Bring your friends!

Although most visits by chickadees, titmice, and nuthatches - after they get a seed from my hand - result in those birds flying off a distance and caching (stashing) their seeds for eating later, the first visit to my hand when I first get there often characteristically results in the bird taking a seed and then landing nearby - and eating the seed in front of me. After that, they often keep returning to get another seed and fly off to cache the seed elsewhere. (If you don't see this initial behavior of them sticking around near you, the birds probably have already been fed by other people with peanuts - and they immediately go into caching mode.)

Downy Woodpeckers do not cache their food - but eat what they find immediately.

Earlier today, I was able to get these videos of the behavior of them sticking around close by to eat the first peanut. (In the real winter, I don't take my gloves off to get videos!)

1) A video of one chickadee as he sits nearby and eats his first peanut taken from my hand - one nibble at a time - before returning for another one to cache.

2) A video of two chickadees sitting near each other as they eat their first peanut taken from my hand - before returning for another one to cache.

3) A video showing a male Downy Woodpecker eating his peanut nearby - one nibble at a time - after taking it from my hand and after putting it in a crevice in the bark of a nearby tree to stabilize the peanut as he eats it. (This particular Downy Woodpecker "White Feather" is a "regular," having been coming to my hand almost every winter day for three winter seasons.) Earlier this winter, the pesky Blue Jays kept stealing his peanut as he tried to eat his peanut, so his eventual solution was to stay close to me. Now, he eats it very close to me, since the Blue Jays don't get that close to me - now, since I have discouraged the Blue Jays - with my movements - from getting closer - even though they still try occasionally. I have discouraged them since they bully the smaller birds and inhibit them from coming to my hand when they get too close. (That's really a separate story.)

Be aware that this behavior of the birds eating out of your hand is a winter activity and will soon end (with exceptions), and the birds will start eating insects, e.g. caterpillars, as their preferred springtime food - and you will not be as successful as you would be on a harsh, winter day.

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Blue Spruce Park Chickadees

Dr. Ray L. Winstead
rw ( at ) raywinstead ( dot ) com


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