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| Wild strawberries are spreading in my backyard, and I am planting hybrid ones in the straw bale garden. We had some leftover store-boughten strawberries. My attitude is - "Lots of fresh berries for Mrs. I, leftovers for the birds," offsetting the net cost in each category. |
We woke up to several inches of ice and snow. The car was encased in ice, so much that the snow-melt in the trunk was tough to get out. When I popped the trunk, the automatic shutting device, activated by the weight of the ice, cranked it down again. Getting fingers in to stop the action is impossible. Eventually it opened enough to get the bag out.
I shoveled my driveway and left the car alone. Very few places wee open, and I did not want to find out how quickly the emergency room treated me - an ever-changing ad on a nearby billboard. Sometimes we pass it and say, "What a good time for an accident - only a 10 minute wait."
Sassy supervised a bit but really wanted to explore. We took a short walk together and she stuck her nose under the snow a lot. She is always tracking, but I am not sure which animal. She runs her nose along the surface of the street, lost in the hunt. Once her feet were cold, she went inside.
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| Meal worms are loved by insect eating birds. Dried ones are sold at various stores. |
Later I got our helper to come over and assist. One neighbor has almost solved his shoveling problems. His driveway is filled with four cars. I worked on the Wright driveway and our helper met me, shoveling the main sidewalk down three properties, snow flying in every direction.
I gave the birds a mix of sunflower seed, strawberries, and dried meal worms. They ate the strawberries first. I saw a large woodpecker working through the mix, eating, and retreating to his perch. He repeated this several times, and no bird challenged him - not even the aggressive starlings.
Apparently he was getting all the meal worms, and websites confirmed that woodpeckers and many other insect eaters love meal worms.
Sunflower seeds were left on the filing cabinet, but no meal worms. I broached the subject of storing live meal worms in the fridge. That caused some raucous laughter. Some birders think dried ones are not good enough, but they will do for now.
I lack a birdbath warmer, so I bought out a wastebasket full of hot water to give them some water for drinking and bathing. The birds left their tracks on the snow on top the pans, so I know they were looking for their normal supply.
