It’s Busy Under that Dogwood

When I’m working inside on a project with the window open beside me, I hear all these little birdy noises in the trees. Not songs, mind you, it’s the other little exchanges, the tiny peeps and squeaks and whistles. Sooner or later it’s the best excuse I know for stepping outside to see what’s going on.The wonderful thing about binoculars is that they bring the bird closer. But I think I love my camera lens the best. It’s when I’m looking at the images on the computer screen that I often see something delightful that I could not have seen before, something I would have otherwise missed…
like these tiny little feet!
Never mind that the images are fuzzy. Just look at those precious little feet!
This titmouse is holding its dogwood berry like a squirrel or a mouse might except with straighter toes and unlike the furry critters, he has to perch on these same little feet. Is that not amazing?
Well, maybe you knew that. But I guess I've never thought about how they hold a berry. I just knew they did. And when I saw these photos all I could do was stare at them and say “look at those little feet!”
I expected something more like the position below, when the berry's almost gone.
But then there's a lot less to hold by now. And he's not planning to leave any behind.

Here’s a second titmouse preparing to feast.

Is that one berry or two?!