Reviving what they call an Ottoman tradition, crews from a municipality in eastern Turkey adorn the dried branches of trees amid a harsh winter with fruit for birds who cannot find food easily during the bad weather.

Muhammed Cevdet Orhan, mayor of Aziziye in the province of Erzurum, joined workers on Wednesday as he personally placed fruit, from tangerines to apples, on barren branches. "This is a tradition. In the past, people would not pick all the fruit on a tree and leave some for birds to eat," he told reporters. The mayor says the practice would continue until the weather improves, something that may take a long time in the province, one of the coldest places in Turkey. Indeed, temperatures were around minus 25 degrees Celsius (minus 13 degrees Fahrenheit) early Wednesday in Aziziye. Along with fruits, workers hang wooden birdhouses on the trees to give shelter.

Orhan said their town was not rich in fruit trees due to the climate and they aimed to address this shortage for birds via this practice. He said they were also leaving food in rural areas and on the streets for stray animals challenged by the bad weather.

Cold weather and snowfall, which took hold in most provinces, make life more difficult for stray animals relying on food delivered by human beings. Charities, municipalities and government agencies occasionally deploy food for stray animals as well as wildlife during the winter, while animal shelters offer a warm home for animals out in the cold.