Alacati birding

Winter feeding

I always remember winter -time in the UK was the time to dig the bird -feeders out of the shed and buy some fat -balls from our green -grocer and on rainy, cold, blustery days watch the Bluetits and Chaffinches fight over their gourmet -feast.

But here in Turkey there always seems to be enough food for all the garden -visitors and with Lard and Suet being as common as Rocking -horse droppings ,homemade fat balls were not an option really.

Not until I read an article in one of the birding -mags where this lady in the states got some large pine -cones smeared them in peanut butter ,then covered the cone in crushed peanuts ,birdseed and rolled -oats.

A Robin singing for his breakfast

So off I went to find some large pine -cones,which is'nt difficult around Alacati,and proceeded to cover them in the cheap peanut -butter from Bim's supermarket and some rolled -oats;attaching some wire to the top of the cone and secured it to one of the branches of the peach tree outside the kitchen window.

A male Black redstart investigating the cone

Well you would'nt believe it,within half an hour 2 Great tits had investigated and were busy having their first meal ,then the local Robin arrived ;then the Black redstart.

This morning the House sparrows joined in on the game of "who can hang upside down and eat at the same time as fighting off all opponents".

It has now become a daily chore to fill up the cone as the birds just sit in the olive -tree waiting for their breakfast to arrive.