February 4th, 2015

Mr Maloney’s class was studying Biodiversity out to the Camp Heidelberg OEEC last week.  During their visit we took the opportunity to feed Black-capped Chickadees from our hands, which is always a thrill.  We had briefly discussed Frank Glew’s ‘That Chickadee Feeling’ where the child in the story describes the experience of a chickadee feeding from the hand as ‘a strange tingling feeling stretching from my fingers to the tips of my toes’.  I said that it had a different feeling to me, but that everyone’s ‘chickadee feeling’ could be different.

Soon after, I received a wonderful email…

Mr. Maloney: Describe that chickadee feeling in a sentence.

Carolyn: That Chickadee feeling was amazing. It makes me feel more positive and happy. It almost made my face glow with happiness when it landed on my hand. I was blooming with excitement as other chickadees came to eat seeds on my hand.

Lucy: That Chickadee feeling was just awesome. It makes me feel warm and happy. When it landed on my bare hand, it was ticklish but I was happy at the same time.

Bassam: The Chickadee feeling is a sensational mix of tingly, warm, and helpful.

Cameron:that chickadee feeling makes me happy and close to nature.

Alex:It felt like amazing to feel the chickadee !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Megan: When a bird lands in your hand and picks up a seed that you know will nourish it and help keep it alive and you know you’re responsible, that’s the chickadee feeling at its best.

Kevin: The chickadee landing in your hand felt like you just wanted to take him up and hug the little helpless creature.

Sneha:The Chickadee feeling is a breathtaking feeling that sends a thrill of warmth, happiness and affection for ,the very Chickadee that trusted you enough to land on your hand, surging through your body and when the Chickadee lands on your bare hand the claws of the bird send a tickle up your hand the claws don’t hurt but they do claw into your skin a bit.

Adi: That chickadee feeling is a warm thrilling feeling filled with joy and happiness!

Ty: Knowing that a chickadee is as small as that it feels good that there that brave to land on you and i like how its feels when it lands on your bare hands, it’s so tingly:)

Tahir: The chickadee feeling fills you with happiness which feels nice

Barry:The chickadee feeling is a really extraordinary feeling ,even though it didn’t land on my hand very often ,the few times it did it made me feel really happy.

Lamiya: The chickadee feeling fills you with wonderful dramatic happiness and makes you smile. It kind of makes your heart beat faster!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yuqian:That Chickadee feeling is very unexpected, knowing such a small harmless animal can actually trust us people! 🙂

Isie: the chickadee feeling was really cool and the feeling where you get to have it walk and perch on your hand was so incredible, and it tickles but they trust you enough that you can feed a wild bird!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 😀

Lauren: The Chickadee feeling is an amazing, and beautiful feeling that takes your breath away, because when it lands on your hand, you feel it crawling up your hand; it is a 53 plus in a lifetime opportunity.

Connor:To me the chickadee feeling feels like this warm feeling that feels so good.

Aaliyah: A warm, funny and excited experience that is unexpected!

Zainab:Ticklish, happy, nice and warm.

Dylan: as soon as the chickadee touched my hand it felt like burst of happiness it felt like I was a man.

Qalib: The chickadee feeling is a really happy feeling that I never felt before

Yalda: That chickadee feeling was a dramatic, awesome time of my life, especially spending time in the forest and just feeling the landing of a chickadee on your bare hands; this also reminds me of having to know the diverse world of nature and, especially Going outside and knowing the world of nature ( when a chickadee lands on you, let’s say a black-capped chickadee, it gives you a nice, warm, tingly feeling that you can never let go of, ever in your life; you will always remember that feeling of that moment ).

Malek: I felt like a man because I usually scared of animals. I saw the girls standing there and not nervous at all. Once Allen said that we could take of our gloves, I wanted to be the first one to try it and once the bird came I was proud of myself. I am even afraid of cats and dogs.