winter bird life - always amazed they can survive

[flowerbug]

when the snows get so deep.

the blue jays and cardinals are the ones i notice the most in the winter because of their bright colors.

what can they be eating? dried berries on bushes? can't be much bugs to munch on this time of the season and everything buried under a few feet of snow...

hmm... ?

 

[baymule]

Most of them are down here, hitting our bird feeder!

 

[flowerbug]

if i could fly i'd go south too!

 

[Collector]

I wonder that myself, but they usually on the bird feeders around here. This winter is not near as cold and snowy as last year though so not as many birds on the feeders. Last winter I was filling them every other day, this year once a week or so.

 

[catjac1975]

I saw and heard a lot of giant crows today.

 

[Smart Red]

Watching a PBS show recently where they discussed why people were reporting more birds including (surprise to me) robins and even bluebirds staying in Wisconsin during the winter. Said it was because of the increase in invasives like buckthorn and other berry producers that now provide food for wildlife through the winter.

 

[flowerbug]

I saw and heard a lot of giant crows today.

crows have always been around here for winter, they seem to find plenty to eat with all the deer/car accidents and other roadkill.

the jays around here must be eating something other than acorns. what good is caching acorns for the winter when they can end up under a few feet of snow? and around our place here there aren't too many oaks. a few, but not enough that we have constant squirrel population around. from my readings last night they must be going after dried berries on some of the bushes and whatever bugs they can pick out of the bark of trees. it's been so cold here i just can't imagine that being too many to find.

just amazes me that they can live at all. takes a lot of energy to keep warm...

 

[catjac1975]

I saw a lot of holly berries on the ground after a rain storm. The crows seem to leave for a while and then come back really early.

 

[Nyboy]

I am lazy I don't dead head, I tell people it for the birds in winter. I have had a pair of cardinals nesting at kennel for about 20 years. Have no idea if same birds or different ones. Once in driveway was father, mother and 4 of their offspring. It was like a mini flock of cardinals

 

[digitS']

We have Steller's jays here but I seldom see them. Have you noticed that a jay's flight is less than stellar? They climb the tree then mostly glide to another tree. I think that the crows are much better adapted to human communities and, I bet, make life difficult for jays when they can. There aren't often crows at higher elevations so the jays can probably lay claim to those trees.

Usually, I see a robin now and then thru the winter in the walnut trees across the road. Maybe they are benefiting from Mountain Ash berries, maybe rose hips - just guessing. It surprises me to see them in January and February.

We have just been through about 5 weeks with above normal temperatures. (It was 18° again this morning but with a breeze ..! The Weather Service is showing wind chills in single digitS' around the neighborhood ..!) Anyway, I have not seen a robin in months! I will be where I discovered robins in recent winters. They must visit other areas nearby but seem to like that protected location. It won't be my first time there this winter. In fact, there were wild turkeys there a few weeks ago - looking miserable in rain and melting snow. I will look for robins.

The California quail are eating the kale in my backyard ...

Steve