Clinging On

It's a case of the birds and the bees today, or more accurately a young magpie at the fat balls and a bee at the green bean flowers. Although the bird feeding will not stop the bees do not have very much longer to gather nectar or pollen for the hive.

I decided to use both images because I liked the way they illustrated how superbly adapted the creatures' feet are to allow both to grip different surfaces to get at their food. In the case of the magpie its claws are so strong it can hang upside down, and the bee has tarsal claws that stabilise it on delicate smooth petals. In the latter's case you can see these clearly in the enlarged version.

Cameras
Magpie: Canon Legria Camcorder HF M52: StillFrame 50.2 mm:f/4: 1/00th
Bee: Sony Cybershot: ISO 1600: 10.4: f/11: 1/250th