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| The squirrels in Bella Vista were almost as aggressive as the raccoons. |
I bought several new foods at the Walmart Supercenter (a locally owned market) - just before the stormy weather began. Although we did not get feet of snow, we did have a lot for this area - five inches of accumulation.
Alex and I already had already squeezed four pounds of suet hanging in mesh bags. I filled the bird feeder near our window with a finch mix - thistle and hulled sunflower seeds. I placed the squirrel block on the wooden filing cabinet in the trees - a combination of corn, sunflower, and other seeds. I had several lumps of dried meal worms to add to the Jackson Bird Spa.
I added water to shallow dishes once a day.
All the creatures were so hungry that they ate together. The squirrel sat on the corn block but various birds harvested loose corn below. Later a male and a female cardinal worked on the block.
Finches and cardinals came to the finch mix in the feeder while starlings swung on the suet bags hanging from it.
The Jackson EZ Bird Swing saw more activity.
Our birds included:
- Thirty or more starlings at one time.
- A pair of cardinals.
- Purple finches and chickadees at the feeder.
- Some tiny birds at the feeder - too shy and quick to be identified so far.
- Mourning doves on the ground.
- Downy woodpecker at the suet, when the starlings left it alone.
I shoveled snow for our neighbors on each side, and we had the cleanest walks on the block, thanks to early salting. The early bird has the least amount of work when it snows. Filtered sunshine and salt combine to reduce the load - instead of ice building up under the footsteps of procrastinators.
