One Above and One Below~

For Christmas, I purchased my 86 year old father-in-law a very large bird feeder. It has brought much joy to him and the many songbirds that flock to it, as well as some pesky, but very cute Gray Squirrels. The squirrels were eating Dad out of house and home the first few weeks and then I purchased a very secure squirrel baffle and true to the name, it totally baffles the squirrels as to how they can possibly reach the goods any longer. It is a nicer share though, in that the birds will get picky over which seeds they like and throw them to the ground. Ground eating birds and squirrels then can have their feed from on the ground below, which works out for all concerned, including myself. I made a promise to pay for the first year of birdseed, and it was beginning to make a dent in my budget. The House Sparrows are always a treat for me, as we have none out where we live.  These images are of an adult breeding male and the squirrel also happens to be an adult breeding male with a slight tear in his right ear from a previous battle~