A pika spotted at a bird feeder in Udelnaya Park

In Udelnaya Park in northern St. Petersburg, activists have already purchased a third bag of sunflower seeds to help the birds survive the winter cold. Birds are actively visiting the feeders, and among the usual tits, sparrows, and bullfinches, species with atypical behavior for such feeding have begun to appear.

Thus, on one of the feeders, observers noticed a pika — a bird from the order Passeriformes. Photographer Anton Kubyshkin, who has been watching birds for six years, shared his impressions: «I myself am seeing this for the first time in six years of birdwatching. By and large, it has no business at a feeder. This little bird is famous for constantly crawling up tree trunks in a spiral, peeking into every crevice under the bark. There it searches for insects and their larvae. With its long, thin, pincer-like beak, it very skillfully extracts prey hidden deep within the tree bark. And this is what it does its entire life. I have never seen it obtain food by any other method. But, after watching other birds, it decided that feeders are suitable for it too. Maybe there’s a breeding ground for some larvae there, or maybe it’s eating grain or crumbs — that will remain a mystery.»

The feeders in the park are popular with birds, and there is enough food. For supplementary feeding, the activists purchased three bags of sunflower seeds, 30 kg each. Sunflower seeds are considered a universal food for most birds in urban parks and forests. It is important to use unsalted and unroasted seeds, both hulled and in the shell.