The Bandit

 How quickly can the birds eat the sunflower seeds?

 That's a question we've posed a number of times this winter. I'd fill the pop bottle feeder and find it half empty a day later.

 No doubt the birds love it. Some sit there, unwilling to move when other birds try to alight, taking seed after seed, dropping shells and crumbs, eating it seems for hours.

 But birds surely don't have that big of an appetite.

 This morning I was working in my bedroom when I heard Mom call up the stairs. "Come quick," she said. "And bring your camera."

 This is what I saw ...

 Back turned towards the kitchen window, all I saw was a red hairy rump.

 Soon enough he turned around. He'd hang on for dear life, clasping the aluminum dispenser with his agile feet and nails, circling round and round. When he stopped to eat, his back would again be turned to us.

 In fact he showed no fear at all to us watching on the other side of the glass. I walked right up to the window and he paid no attention.

 Finally I tapped on the glass a time or two ...

 His ears perked up - and he might have glanced at me - but he went right back to eating. This was too good to allow for an interruption.

 Finally I'd had enough and walked out the back door and yelled "You get out of here!" He dropped off and hit the ground at a full run, climbed the pine tree at the front of the house and was gone.

 We haven't seen him sense. But is he gone? I'll bet not.