Man captures rare moment between son and bird that typically eats from bird feeders

The old saying goes that a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. It applies to a Hamilton-based naturalist and wildlife guide who captured a rare moment between his son and a typically reclusive bird.

James Lees shared a video on Twitter of his young son in the woods in Burlington, Ont.

The youngster is seen standing next to a tree stump with his palm out, which is full of bird seed. A red-breasted bird on the stump hops toward the outstretched hand. As it gets closer to the edge, the curious bird pauses for a moment, before hopping onto the boy’s hand. There it starts to peck away at the food, as other interested birds fly over. The little boy stands still and watches with a huge smile on his face. After the bird has had its fill, it quickly flies away.

“That was awesome Ben,” Lees says off camera.

In his tweet, Lees identifies the bird as a Rose-breasted Grosbeak, which isn’t known to hand-feed.