Since we returned to Kandersteg from Piedmont on May 30th, it has been raining almost non-stop here. And it is also ten degrees cooler than in Alba. Terrible! The songbirds who have stopped singing probably think that too.

The Sempach bird observatory recommends feeding the birds now. In this lousy weather they find little food. In addition, many of them are busy raising their young and have to get lots of food. This morning, I observed two blue tits feeding their young at our bird feeder.

However, I was amazed yesterday when I saw that the birdhouse suddenly leaned sharply to the side. I thought there was a jackdaw hanging at the feeder. But mountain jackdaws don’t have bushy tails! I looked closer and what did I see: a dark squirrel sitting in the feeder and filling its stomach. The tits didn’t seem to particularly appreciate this and were happy when the squirrel, having had enough, ran away in long jumps. We are curious whether we will see this funny visitor again?

PS: If you want to find out more about our bird world, read here: Vogelwarte Sempach