Some of you may have noticed with the recent Pine Siskin invasion, that they are fairly easy to approach. Today, as I was putting out a new suet cake, a Siskin landed on the thistle sock about two feet from me. I stood and watched it for a moment, then I very slowly began to stretch my ungloved hand toward it. It continued to feed. It took me probably 30 to 45 seconds to extend my arm so that my hand was touching the thistle sock. The Siskin would look at me from time to time but continue to feed. A second Siskin flew in and there was a skirmish. The second Siskin flew to a nearby branch. The combat caused the sock to turn. As it slowly turned, the feeding Siskin came nearer my hand. Finally its tail feathers were touching my finger. When it felt the pressure of the feathers against my finger it moved up about an inch. It continued to feed. I moved my hand upward slowly until my finger was touching its foot. It just moved its foot away from my finger and continued to feed. I figured by that time that I had bothered it enough, so I slowly backed away and left it to feed. If you have never touched a wild bird that can fly away at any moment, it is an enjoyable experience. I have done it several times with goldfinches, chickadees (they would even fish out seeds that were down between my fingers), titmice and nuthatches. Try it sometime. Standing still and letting the birds get used to you being there is the key. If you have the patience to do it for 15 to 20 minutes each day, they will soon get used to you. When you first start you may want to take down the feeders and hold seeds in your extended hand. Your arm will get tired, so if you can rest it on something, you can stay a lot longer. Roger Mayhorn Compton Mt