With the weather being so cold and temperatures due to dip to their lowest tonight, I make sure that I get up early to put a good selection of food out for the birds and squirrels. At least we've been quite lucky here because we only had a light covering of snow yesterday but the temperature has remained below freezing with the wind chill making it much colder.
On Saturday I went into the garden centre to get some food for the little robin and the dunnock because they both quietly hop around the garden and prefer to feed on the ground. I already buy a special seed and insect mix which has the husks removed so is 'ready to eat' and this is in the hanging feeders but I also put some on the bird table. Then I add some sunflower kernels which are quite expensive, enjoyed by both birds and squirrels, so I bought some special insect suet treats which are intended for the birds, but also enjoyed by the squirrels. Of course there are the peanuts for the birds in a wire feeder and the squirrels have them in their nut box.
I know that quite a lot of birds, including the robin, enjoy cheese because of the fat in it so I got some of Tesco's value grated cheese and the squirrels are even having some of that. The other tasty morsel that they are all enjoying are some currants which are past their best that were given to me by the old man round the corner, but the birds and squirrels are eating those too so it must be the sugar.
With such a vast menu I get the usual birds and also a few others such as a pair of magpies and the wrens. I'm glad they know where to come for a good feed and fresh water even if I do have to go out two or three times during the day to thaw out the bird bath and refill it. Yesterday, one of the squirrels had a really good feed then sat on the fence post at the top of the garden in the sun with his front paws folded on his chest, his head down, then he went off to sleep for a while!
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