Birds warming themselves in the sun

[themechanic]

It's 3 degrees Fahrenheit outside today. I saw about 200 birds, mostly Robins and Cedar Waxwings, warming themselves in the sun. Some were on fences, others sat on rooftops, still others clung to trees. It's something I've never seen before. I took photos with my point-and-shoot Canon.

Enjoy

 

[themechanic]

 

[themechanic]

 

[Beekeeper]

Looks like the Alfred Hitchcock movie
Better watch out!

 

[toolmanmike]

Snow on the roof and Robins in the tree. That is a sure sign of spring. Damn, I need to move somewhere south. LOL

 

[zyzzyx]

I feel sorry for the little guys. I think tomorrow I'll go get some suet cakes and give em
something to eat. Everything is covered! I walked out of the house yesterday and heard
a bunch of finches in our front tree. Thought they all went South!

 

[Beep!Beep!]

here I thought it was going to be a flock of road runners and super birds sunning themselves

 

[Ghostrider 67]

Our grey squirrels are unhappy with the type of birdseed I purchased. One keeps jumping up on the window sill and looking inside at me with it's paws together in front of it, I swear it's working on me. Usually when the feeder is empty it does that. Sometimes accompanied by a tiny titmouse bird. They like the oiled sunflower seeds better..

 

[Richard Cranium]

Snow on the roof and Robins in the tree.

Where's Batman?

 

[Kern Dog]

When I was a kid, one cold day at school I asked the teacher Do birds get cold?
She said that they only do when they are hungry.
I still think she was bullshitting me.

 

[Ghostrider 67]

When I was a kid, one cold day at school I asked the teacher Do birds get cold?
She said that they only do when they are hungry.
I still think she was bullshitting me.

As we might guess, a number of studies show generally positive impacts of bird feeding. For example, the overwinter survival of birds is enhanced by bird feeding. This is especially true during the coldest times, when some hungry birds might otherwise lose the battle with the elements

 

[themechanic]

Leslie the Bird Nerd lives in Canada. She has a lot of high quality videos on birds. This one about birds coping with the cold is fitting for this conversation.

 

[themechanic]

To answer another question.

 

[Ghostrider 67]

Cool.....cool,cool,cool....

 

[Don Frelier]

Maybe songbirds know when spring is coming.
But Canada geese these days are an entirely different story.
Saw a bunch flying north last week.
They have no clue which way is north or south anymore.

 

[64BEL]

These are great videos - very informative. We have several different feeders in our yard and a lot of trees making for a great habitat for birds. We also have a heated bird bath that keeps water availabe to them all year round. When it's really cold, steam rises from the bath and it looks like a little hot tub.

 

[khryslerkid]

Maybe songbirds know when spring is coming.
But Canada geese these days are an entirely different story.
Saw a bunch flying north last week.
They have no clue which way is north or south anymore.

What I've witnessed in just my lifetime is that there are Migratory Canadian geese and Resident Canadian geese. The Resident only seem to fly just south enough to find warmer weather. As soon as it warms up a little in the area they are from they will return.

In Maryland you'll see a lot of migratory geese at the Eastern Shore. It's quite an anual hunt. There are also the resident geese that hang around more than the migratory. The state actually created a resident goose season to help check their population. I believe that was in September.

In the '60s we had two pair of Canadians nest at our two acre pond. By the '80s we had 200 come in there in the spring. I've even seen them nesting in February when they thought it was spring because it warmed up for a couple weeks. They normally ended up sitting on their nest with snow covered backs when it turned cold again. It's not till after March before the weather changes for good in this area. They know no more about the weather than you or I do.

Do you know why they fly in a V formation?.....

Have you ever seen one take a ****? You wouldn't want to fly directly behind one either!

 

[khryslerkid]

I took this picture a couple weeks ago on February the 4th. Robins normally eat bugs and worms. I don't think he wasn't making out too well.

 

[Budnicks]

wow, learn something new here every damn day

 

[GrabberOrange69]

My wife snapped this photo in our backyard today, it’s a Sharp Shinned Hawk:

He’s eyeing our bird feeders, where lots of finch, Jays, and Doves like to congregate. A year ago I watched a Coopers Hawk swoop down and pluck a ring neck dove off a power wire. He subdued it on the ground, then flew off. This hawk seems to be contemplating the same.