Common chaffinch

Above:  Male adult chaffinch    Below:  Female juvenile chaffinch

Have you ever held a live bird in your hands?  They are amazing creatures.  Ridiculously light for their size, their small bodies belie their potential and stamina.  I have been more fortunate than most and have had opportunity to hold many living birds.  I have caught swallows to remove them from buildings.  I once was part of a team capturing and tagging Canadian geese.  I have hand fed starlings, pigeons, and chickadees.  Injured birds rescued include robins, gulls, owls, and a few unlucky soles who strayed into windows.  Then there was the chaffinch.

While visiting New Zealand I came across a funny little brown and grey bird I had never seen before.  Consulting my bird book I discovered it was a common chaffinch, a European bird which has become commonplace in its new home.  It feeds on small organisms which it obtains through the usual methods and will eat vegetable matter such as seeds.  The chaffinch seems to be a pleasant bird with no annoying habits or tendencies.  Its song is nice, although not as lyrical as some better feathered crooners.  (see link at the bottom; information, videos, and songs available there)

We had parked our camper van at a night stop near Matamata, NZ, and I was out taking pictures.  We were at a rustic museum with many antique farm implements on display and good sized flower and vegetable gardens.  The building themselves were closed and, outside of another camper van, we were the only ones there.  I got some great shots of what was about; and then I saw this wonderful site.

November in New Zealand is much akin to spring in Canada and the birds were out making nests, laying eggs, and raising young.  A brown and grey bird was feeding its chick; what was unusual was that they were on a bench at the back of the property.  The chick happily sat there while its parent was scurrying about bringing it food for its quickly growing body.  It reminded me of my job a home a few years ago.  I took shots, as I usually do, and I got closer.

When photographing wildlife there is a foreseeable and predictable pattern which arises.  I see something, I move slowly towards it, being as inconspicuous as possible, and I photograph it continuously until I see that it is uncomfortable with my presence.  At that point I stop and leave the organism in peace.  Usually I end up with a pretty good photo and did not disturb my quarry very much.  What was unusual here was that the chick never showed signs of distress.

As I got closer and closer my shots improved and the chick remained steadfast on the bench.  I paused, moved a couple of feet, froze, took a photo, then repeated that pattern.  Eventually I was only a short distance away, literally half a meter.  I slowly bent over, extended my hand (palm up) and put it in front of the bird.  It hopped on.  It was both strange and wonderful that this little individual would trust me to lift it up to have a little face time.  I marveled at it, becoming cognizant of the fact that its parent was about to have conniptions no doubt thinking I was about to ingest its offspring.  

It was at that moment it flew away.  I think that is what gave me the greatest satisfaction.  The chick could have left at any time.  It trusted me and we had a moment with each other that will remain engraved in my mind forever.  Even though I was securely planted on the ground, my heart was up there with the birds.  I'm sure I could have chirped a few bars if I tried.

https://www.hbw.com/ibc/species/common-chaffinch-fringilla-coelebs