January 4, 2014 / Leslie

Weekend Birding: Coping With The Cold

Birds, Downy Woodpecker, House Finch, Photography, Photos, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Starling

My backyard has been filled with birds the past few weeks and with the coming deep freeze – Chicago is getting a blast of subzero arctic air tomorrow – my feeders will be even busier. Temperatures are expected to plunge ten to fifteen degrees below zero F (about -25C) and stay there for a few days. Brrrrr!

How Do Birds Stay Warm?

One of the ways birds stay warm is by burning calories to generate heat. They fluff up their down feathers to trap body heat. Their outer feathers have an oily coating for insulation.

That’s the quick answer. Some birds, like Chickadees, can slow their metabolism while they sleep to conserve energy, some huddle together to share warmth, others take shelter in shrubs, tree cavities or bird houses. There’s a lot more science behind it but if they can’t find food, water and shelter they will not survive.

I leave my nest boxes, or bird houses, out all winter and provide a roost box that will house multiple birds. Several years ago a European Starling claimed the box and hung out in my yard every day, guarding it all winter. I swear the same bird brought his family to my yard the following the summer and introduced his youngsters to the feeders.

Finding Food

I watched this little White-breasted Nuthatch go back and forth to the sunflower feeder taking one seed at a time and stashing it in a crevice in the bark of the apple tree. I hope he can remember where he puts them.

When birds burn additional amounts of energy to stay warm it severely drains their fat supplies. Long cold spells can be disastrous if they can’t find high fat foods. This week’s 12 to 18 inches (30-45 cm) of snow across the central and eastern US is making that difficult for many of them.

I leave native plants uncut in the garden until spring so the birds can eat from the seed heads. Flowers such as Coreopsis, Black-eyed Susan and Cone Flower all provide food. That’s my garden on the right. I’m not sure what plant that is under all the snow.

In better weather the birds would be hopping on the ground picking up the fallen seeds or sitting on the plants, but the snow makes it challenging.

Are Bird Feeders Beneficial?

Birds spend about five or six hours a day searching for food. That too burns up a lot of energy. Some will survive, some won’t. High fat foods provided in a feeder make it much easier for the birds looking for a meal when seed and fruit producing plants or insects are unavailable.

So yes, I would say providing food is beneficial and helps the bird population. High fat foods such as suet and sunflower seeds are favorites and provide a lot of energy.

Looking out the window this morning I see about 40 birds in my yard roosting in shrubs and trees and eating at the feeders. There’s a lot of snow on the ground but the temperature has risen to about one degree below freezing. They seem to know even more severe weather is coming and are eating as much as they can.

Do You Feed The Birds?

I have six bird feeders in my yard and have tried many others. I’ll be writing a post on my experience with the different feeders: What works, what doesn’t and the big question, how to co-exist with the squirrels.

Saturday Snapshot was originated by Alyce at At Home With Books. It is now hosted by Melinda of West Metro Mommy. Visit her blog to see more great photos or add your own.