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| Alaskan Eagle ADN pic |
Like many others during our recent snow storm, I kept watch for birds, wondering how they would get food and keep
warm during that bad weather – bad for New Jersey, that is.
But how about birds in Alaska, our one
Arctic state? How in that frigid world
do birds make it because “if they can make it there, they’ll make it anywhere.”
A story in the Anchorage Daily News
described Alaskan birds’ strategies to stay cozy. They shiver, gorge on food and surround their
bodies with down, and it works for birds as large as bald eagles and as small as
black-capped chickadees.
Big birds like ravens head for cities,
where dumps and dumpsters are dependable food sources. Chickadees stuff
themselves, gaining 10% of their body weight each day, then shiver all night,
keeping warm. Other species huddle
together for warmth or bury themselves in snow, an insulation.
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| Alaskan raven ADN pic |
Snowy
owls keep warm by fluffing up their very thick feathers from face to feet. And invariably surprising some people, many
birds spend time in the water because
it’s crucial to keep their feathers clean. As for how they keep their feet warm, that’s
detailed in the story. https://tinyurl.com/yckzj3hh
Meanwhile,
back here with cold and hungry NJ birds: The best I could do was keep the bird
feeder filled with seeds and assure a block of suet was available nearby. And I often tossed seeds and nuts onto the
deck table after shoveling off the deep snow.
Avian pecking order
A
Washington Post feature on “Which birds are the biggest jerks at the
feeder?” reveals a secret pecking order among hungry birds. Using a database with nearly 100,000 bird
interactions, ornithologists have formulated a “hidden hierarchy” showing which
ones are dominant at feeders and positing why – not always having to do with bird
size.
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| Hummingbird |
For
instance, to take advantage of every second of feeding time, hummingbirds “punch
way above their weight,” but although the pileated woodpecker may look threatening
with its fierce bill and strong build, it’s actually docile for its size.
While
goldfinches are squabblers, usually among themselves, beyond that, they’re limited by
their half-ounce size, and chickadees must defer to just about every other
bird.
Who’s
king of the feeder in the Northeastern US? The American crow, who beats out even the assertively
noisy blue jay. And crows’ power position
is followed closely by the common grackle, red-bellied woodpecker and European
starling.
Most
other bird species fall below blue jays in the avian hierarchy – they range
from robins, mourning doves, cardinals and sparrows through wrens, nuthatches,
finches and chickadees.
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| Song sparrow |
At
least one source on the subject (Ohio Dept. of Natural Resources) recommends
feeding birds during cold winter months – providing a “nutritional bridge” they
need for survival – when insects and other warm weather food supplies aren’t available.
Because
most other wildlife like deer, raccoons and squirrels, can work through heavy snow
to find food sources, feeding them is discouraged.
Great Backyard Bird Count – coming up!
Here’s
a wonderful one minute-plus video about an annual event for the good of birds
all over the world. From Feb. 16-19, people
everywhere are invited to count the birds they see in their backyards and
communities. The information they submit will help scientists help birds. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6RdXDGcqHTg
And
this hour-plus video also includes specs about Merlin, an app anyone can use to
help identify birds. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2FM_W8Vhmk
Year of the Tiger
February 1 marked the start of the Lunar New Year, based on a calendar that tells time partly by the cycles of the moon. Every
year is named for one of the 12 animals in the Chinese zodiac. People in China, Vietnam, Korea and other
countries, including the US, celebrate this festive event.
The
new USPS “forever” stamp celebrates the Year of the Tiger (at a time when wild
tigers are more threatened than ever). Buy
some “tiger stamps” and (as you’ll see here) beautify your mail!
#
Please
comment – maybe on your favorite bird or whether your bird feeder observations match the hierarchy here – at 1moreonce.blogspot.com