Here We Go Again

As I write this the Great Southern Winter Storm of 2014 is upon us (I refuse to call it by the name chosen by a certain national weather network!) and we await the accumulation of the first 1"+ snowfall since Christmas season 2012.  The tube feeder birds will hardly notice the change but this event could be an issue for the ground feeders, but they seem to be pretty versatile and will do alright in the end.  Although I may toss some extra seed out in the morning as I size up shoveling work.  I don't yet know if it's going to be little or a lot.  Probably just enough to make driving "complicated".  We shall see what comes of this latest little treat.

And Now For Something Completely Different

In our part of the country, for anywhere from 99.5% of the year or more, wildlife has no experience with snow or ice.  In some years, none at all.  Last year we totaled (and it took three different days) to reach 1.17" of snow.  Supposedly we exceed that figure a bit tonight and the birds, many born this past calendar year, get their first look at the arctic tundra, NC-style.  One wonders how they see this.  Imagine that no such thing has ever happened in their lives, and suddenly the ground is covered.  But we imagine only a visceral reaction.  Clearly uncounted generations of them evolved to our climate and ancestors went through worse.  Somehow or other they figure it out, dig out a little snow perhaps, or switch to a food source that isn't buried.  And for my lazy House Finches (shown in last winter's storm), nothing really changed.  There will be big tubes full of seed, protected from the snow.  Would that it were all that easy...

No Huge Problems Here

I am amused by all the talk of a "polar Vortex": it sure seems like just another crummy blast of cold like we get many winters.  It is known to drop into the sub-15F zone once or twice every year and we had conditions like this a decade ago.  And lived.  I expect my well-adapted birds will make it okay.  They know where and how to feed and where to get out of the wind, and their feathers are probably as good as any Gore-Tex we have.   And mine have plenty of seed and suet to work with.  I recognize that the weak and old birds may not make it, but quite a few will do just fine and keep us watching all winter.

Out of the Wind

So it looks like the Piedmont is about to get a few blasts of something uncommon: temperatures below 20F and wind chills below even that.  We don't experience this very often and the birds are no better off.  But here at Cary BirdCam all will be well.  There is not only plenty of food but we have something that will make the difference at night when the wind really howls: cover, in layers.  We have a good deal of wind-blocking native vegetation from ground level all the way up to the high canopy, plus nest boxes, plus brush piles.  I expect the birds will be able to reduce their exposure to moving air relatively well.  And in fact there are sufficient structures all along the neighborhood to blunt a lot of the worst.  This is one reason I keep a natural area relatively, well, natural.  It is times like this when every degree counts.

Nice Little Gesture to Ground Birds

Ice storm "Kahn" (as Weather Channel dubbed it) passed through yesterday and left a nice layer of ice, sufficient to vex motorists, but also sufficient to give ground-feeding birds like Slate Colored Juncos a really bad morning (A.M. low 24F)  Perhaps being a little too soft hearted I left some extra seed treats on the surface of the ice.  The various birds were on top of that seed in a hurry, including the juncos, Pine Siskins, American Goldfinches, White Throated Sparrows, and Northern Cardinals.  It even delighted the furry gray menace, but I left them alone.  It was a cold night and no one wants to fear for breakfast after that.  But all is well that ends well.  Most everyone made it through a rough, icy night.  And the weather improves for several days.  Such are the fruits of a nice little gesture.

The Right Address Today

Our home was definitely the right address today for neighborhood songbirds.  It was an unusually crummy winter day for the central Piedmont with a high of 26F and a wintry mix of sleet and freezing rain.  The birds were hungry and active all day, and from long experience they know they can depend on a meal here.  And my well-stocked feeders attracted crowds.  The scratching ground was like a bus station!  At one point I counted 26 birds; mostly juncos and Pine Siskins but also with cardinals, goldfinches, White Throated Sparrows, Chipping Sparrows, and towhees thrown in.  The various nuthatches, chickadees, and such worked the suet feeders hard.  And I even noticed birds out past sunset in a last desperate effort to load food before a raw night under the ice.  I made sure to top of feeders so that the morning rush would be able to warm up on a good meal, and I checked the deicers to ensure liquid water was also on the menu.  After all, I want my address to remain the dining spot of choice!

The Birds' Kind of Winter?

Another thought that has come with the middle of winter here is how mild this one has been.  No scenes like this one!  There's not been a hint of snow, and only 17 nights back to early November have seen temperatures drop below freezing.  The birds have had a few iffy nights with low temperatures and sometimes wind, but 2012-13 has so far been a romp in the park.  Lots of food and ice-free water, enough cover to keep any wind out, and no frozen ground to speak of.  Personally, this kind of winter pleases me enormously: I did my time (23 years, please) in New England.  And if the weather makes the birds happy, so much the better.  It will be interesting to see if the pattern continues and if February upsets the apple cart.

Invasion

The weather has turned noticeably colder (for the next few days) and all the signs were there that the songbirds are hitting feeders hard.  Seed consumption is sharply up.  Suet is going a little faster.  And I am seeing rather more birds than usual.  One species that's looking more numerous are the visiting Yellow Rumped Warblers.  It may be that the same number of birds have been around, but I see more of them on the feeders at one time than I've experienced so far this winter.  That's no surprise, really.  Once the Wax Myrtles and other fruiting shrubs have been cleared off, the YRWs seem to be a good deal more populous, every year.  Sunday should be the coldest yet this season.  It will be interesting to see what goes on outside!