I thought I would take this time to tell you about my birds. Yes, I have
birds also. Since I have been moved downstairs I have had my window
covered up with plastic to keep the draughts out. But since the weather
has gotten warm, I have had the opportunity to remove the plastic and
open my window.

I have observed that there are many birds that scavenge through the dirt
outside my window for food. My window is covered in its entirety by a
steel plate with ½" holes drilled into it for ventilation. You can look
through these holes and see what is going on outside. So it is nice to
stand on my toilet lid and look out and watch the birds.

An idea came to me that I could feed these critters with a little
imagination. I rolled up a piece of long paper into a tube like a pea
shooter so that it could fit through the holes in the metal over the
window. Then what to feed them? I decided that I would use the bread
that they give me for my meals. I take it and roll it into pellets about
an inch long and about a quarter of an inch in diameter. I insert the
pellets into the end of the tube and blow them outside as if I was
blowing a dart out of a blow gun. Sometimes the bread is not fresh
enough to mould into pellets, it is dry and will not form. So I then
take the bread and mix it with water and make a ball of dough to which I
roll out strips of long pellets. I cut the strips into smaller pieces
and leave over night to firm up. This is the preferred method.

All it took was one feeding to teach the birds where to come for their
bounty. Now early each morning they are scouring the ground in front of
my window for their food. If I don’t get up and start feeding them, they
simply sing louder. And today one actually flew up to my window as if to
say 'hey, let’s get on with the feeding!' So I stand on my toilet lid
and shoot the pellets out and I watch as the battles begin for the food.
One guy may grab it and start to eat it and another one will come up and
steal it out of his beak! Or if it breaks apart when bitten and falls to
the ground, another will quickly scoop it up and fly away with his
reward. Most of my birds are repeat customers. I can tell by their
markings. I have sparrows, blue birds, crows, love birds and a big
raven. There are a few little sparrows that never seem to get the early
pellets and stand around looking up at my window with a look in their
eyes as if to say 'what about me!' So I try to aim my shots to land
right in front of them. Usually I succeed. No one leaves hungry, but
sometimes I wonder where they put it all. They are such small birds.

Well that is my story about my birds. I thought I would share it with
you. I really feel good about my new family. They depend on me and I am
hooked on seeing them every day. Life works in strange ways.’ [18 March]
   .........................................................

Richard Rossi