Reflection Lake '04,  Mt Rainier National Park,  February 21, 2004     page 6 / 10

Within minutes of opening our lunch, the Camp-Robbers were there to greet us. These birds are a common nuisance in the hills. Any loose scrap of food is considered up for grabs by these birds. They are so used to people that they will often eat right out of your hand.

We had packed some mixed nuts with our lunch. Since neither of us particularly care for the Brazil nuts, I pulled one out of the bag and offered it to the bird. Rather than holding my hand open with the nut in my palm, I grasped the nut by one end between my thumb and index finger. The bird saw the opportunity and came quickly, landing on my gloved fingers. He quickly grabbed the nut and pulled to retrieve it, but could not pry it from my grip! I held tightly and the Camp-Robber began pecking between the nut and my thumb. I was rather surprised by his actions and flinched. The bird flew back into the tree. At this point, I felt I had had enough fun and offered the nut from my palm. The bird swiftly came, grabbed the morsel and flew off to consume it.