Twiddle Dee and Twiddle Chirp

Circling the trail around the Lagoon with my camera swinging madly, I missed out on the smallest of the heavenly creatures: the song birds! Ah, the song birds..the ones that dressed Cinderella and helped Snow White clean the little people's hut..or was that the 3 PIGS?

With Hitchcock's Murder of crows lurking and multiple Seagulls, you wonder how the little guys survive? They, like the raccoons and squirrels, have their amazing talents of merging in my woodland world.

In-between the thorny bushes and the leafy branches are these BIRDS...just spewing out hatred at anything passing by. Bitchy yes, but for good reasons. It's not easy picking up a seed with 12 predators lurking...and we add the feral cats to the list.

I wondered if I could ever get photographs of these mini-marvels. They move so quickly and hide so wisely. So, I went and bought some wild bird seed. In the merry old land of the Lagoon, they're happy for handouts. Then, it happened. I was like Cinderfella with all these birds coming out of the woodwork with animated charm. I almost expected music to circle me and make it more magical. The whole thing was so Dr. DoLittle on a mission.

So delicate, so tiny and fragile ...until you actually see these feathered friends battling over a sesame seed. It got ugly. I get the small man complex now. Even birds puff out their chests and attack. Disney's 'Small World After all' isn't as charming as I dreamed it would be.

So, with my camera cap off and the birds in a frenzy, I started to snap away. I had muscle spasms waiting for one chickadee to just 'freeze' for at least 3 seconds. After taking pictures of the Lagoon Darlings, I needed a good rubdown and hour long massage.

One jogger goes by and they all disappear into their hiding places. I silently curse the jogger, the dog-walker and the town pervert as they mess with my new hobby.

But, in the end, I have flown the coop, planted new seeds and framed a few song-birds. It was worth the muscle spasms and long waits. Best of all, I have leftover chicken in my fridge. I walked home wondering if I'd ever get a picture of a hummingbird? Not likely .... I'd need a bigger, faster camera with a thicker manual. I don't think I could endure that...yet!