Slim Pickings

There’s been snow on the ground for a month now and the birds are hanging round the house in growing numbers, hoping for help on the food front.

We’ve been more or less snowed in the last few days and the bird seed ran out at the beginning of the week. So I’ve been raiding the store cupboard in an attempt to keep the feathered ones afloat. But the stores are dwindling, too. My flying friends polished off the supply of pumpkin seeds a couple of days ago; and yesterday’s menu was the last of the sunflower seeds mixed with chopped apple and avocado.

So today I was really scraping the bottom of a near-empty barrel. Or so I thought. But it’s amazing what you can come up with when you put your mind to it.

I gathered everything I had left that I thought might possibly tempt winged creatures, and soon had a bowlful of chopped apple, kiwi, cranberries, goji berries and desiccated coconut. I scattered most of it along the snow-covered, ivy-covered wall in front of the cottage; then mixed the remainder with some coconut butter and ground almonds and pressed the mixture into a heart-shaped tin.

While it chilled in the freezer, I cast about for a second course (don’t like to skimp on hospitality). And I found a jar of tahini that needed using up. So I smeared the contents onto a twig ball, then rolled the whole thing in some Madeira cake left over from Christmas chocolate-making. Then studded it with goji berries, mostly for decorative purposes (though I have to say that the local avian population has a decided taste for the exotic - the goji berries always go first).

I hope they enjoyed their mini feast. ‘Cause tomorrow we’re down to cake crumbs. Except now I come to think of it, there are some apricots I could thread on strings. And maybe I could……

Comments

[MarySunshine]

what a precious gift you are Miss Helen! Lucky Lucky Birds.
it was 16 here this morning but no snow or ice...brrrrr. My birds just get regular old birdseed and peanuts. Although there are a pair of wild, stray cats hanging about lately, so I put a heating pad out for them which they seem to be appreciating.

[vivienne]

what a beautiful feast for them!

[Monica]

These birds are being truly spoiled by the bespoke recipes you are offering them. Bet all the other birds are jealous.