Meet Tidbits, the Tufted Titmouse

About a week or two ago, my husband found some stale peanuts, and he put them out in the yard for the birds. This has made him (and our yard) very popular. The snack station has been visited by many birds since then, but some are more regular visitors than others.

The bigger birds, such as the blue jays, simply stand in the middle of the plate and eat their fill. The smaller birds zip by, swipe a peanut, and flit on out of there quicker than a wink. The lady cardinal politely waits her turn, but between the bigger, bolder birds, and the tiny, faster birds, sometimes she doesn't get her fair share.

But the most frequent visitor may just be this little bird, the tufted titmouse. On this particular day, after my husband refilled the snack tray, I sat on the front porch and watched. And the tufted titmouse came by no fewer than a dozen times, each time swiping a peanut!

And that is how the tufted titmouse got its name. My husband began calling it Tidbits, after a childhood friend of his who was famous for eating his own snack, and then pestering his buddies for some of theirs. 

The soundtrack to this one . . . well, all I could think of as I watched this little bird was that Billy Idol tune where he is shouting, "More, more, more!" So the song is Billy Idol, with Rebel Yell.