Cheeky

We have a nesting pair of blackbirds in the ivy that grows up our garage wall.  The female is the boldest little bird on the block, who has come to expect a daily offering of uneaten scraps from the daughter's high chair.  We call her Cheeky bird. 

When I work in the garden, Cheeky is constantly at my elbow, waiting for me to dig up worms.  She gets close enough for me to reach out and grab--lucky for her I don't want to!  She follows me around, or investigates the garage, or tries her luck in the newly sown seed beds.  

The daughter loves watching Cheeky, who last week came to the doorstep as we were coming home from childcare, as if asking to come in.  The daughter laughed:  "Cheeky!"  Later that day she even sat on the windowsill as I was in the living room, watching me and looking for a way in.  I hadn't thrown out the scraps yet, and she obviously needed to remind me of my duty.

Cheeky's mate is much shyer;  we call him Mr Cheeky or Cheeky Daddy.  He's just as industrious as his mate, but won't stick around if the humans are in sight.  We watch him out the window as we sit in the kitchen:  "Cheeky!" calls the daughter.

There are some other regulars to our garden including Puny the robin, a pair of collared doves and the little dunnet family, but none are so friendly and fearless as our little Cheeky.