ID3 V %TYER 2010-11-23T07:18:15-06:00PRIV XMP
USLT eng N o w t h a t w i n t e r i s s e t t l i n g i n , a f e w b i r d s a r e h u n k e r i n g d o w n f o r t h e d u r a t i o n . B u t i n t h i s c a s e , t h e d u r a t i o n i s n t n e c e s s a r i l y u n t i l w i n t e r e n d s . T o e n d u r e a n o r t h e r n w i n t e r , b i r d s m a y a d a p t t o c h a n g i n g c o n d i t i o n s w i t h c h a n g e s i n d i e t o r b y f i n d i n g n e w r o o s t i n g s p o t s w i t h i n t h e s a m e t e r r i t o r y . S o m e t i m e s t h e y m o v e o n t o n e w a r e a s . T h e i r m o v e m e n t s t r e n d p r e t t y m u c h s o u t h w a r d t h r o u g h J a n u a r y , b u t t h e r e a r e e x c e p t i o n s e v e n t o t h a t .
G r e a t H o r n e d O w l s a r e m o s t l y o n w i n t e r t e r r i t o r i e s n o w a r e a s w h e r e t h e y c a n c o u n t o n a r e a s o n a b l y s t e a d y f o o d s u p p l y a n d a f e w t h i c k c o n i f e r s w h e r e t h e y t a k e r e f u g e d u r i n g t h e d a y , o u t o f v i e w o f h a r a s s i n g c r o w s a n d j a y s . I f t h e y d e p l e t e t h e i r w i n t e r p r e y i n o n e a r e a , o r i f a n i c e s t o r m k n o c k s d o w n t h e i r f a v o r i t e t r e e , t h e y m o v e o n .
C a r d i n a l s a n d n o r t h e r n s p a r r o w s s u c h a s j u n c o s m a y s e t t l e i n t o a n e i g h b o r h o o d w i t h g o o d f e e d e r s o r n a t u r a l f o o d s f o r t h e e n t i r e w i n t e r . B u t i f w e a t h e r c o n d i t i o n s g r o w t o o h a r s h , o r i f t h e d i e t i s n t s u p p l y i n g n e c e s s a r y n u t r i e n t s , t h e y m o v e o n . S o m e t i m e s t h e y l e a v e f o r r e a s o n s w e d o n t u n d e r s t a n d .
S o m e b i r d s n e v e r s e t t l e i n a n y w h e r e . R o b i n s a n d w a x w i n g s f o r m l a r g e , g r e g a r i o u s f l o c k s t h a t t r a v e l t o g e t h e r s e a r c h i n g f o r a n d p i g g i n g o u t o n w i n t e r f r u i t s . A w a n d e r i n g f l o c k m a y n o t i c e a c r a b a p p l e t r e e o r m o u n t a i n a s h , r i c h l y l a d e n w i t h f r u i t . T h e b i r d s d e s c e n d a n d d e v o u r i t a l l i n a m a t t e r o f m i n u t e s , h o u r s , o r d a y s , a n d t h e n w a n d e r o f f i n s e a r c h o f a n o t h e r b o u n t y . T h e m a n y e y e s i n a f l o c k i n c r e a s e t h e i r c h a n c e s o f d e t e c t i n g s u s t a i n i n g f o o d a n d p o t e n t i a l d a n g e r s . W a x w i n g s e v e n h e l p o n e a n o t h e r d i g e s t t h e i r f o o d . W h e n I r e h a b b e d a B o h e m i a n W a x w i n g o n e w i n t e r , I n o t i c e d t h a t 1 0 o r 1 5 m i n u t e s a f t e r i t s w a l l o w e d a m o u n t a i n a s h b e r r y , t h e b e r r y c a m e o u t t h e o t h e r e n d , s t i l l i n t a c t . O u t s i d e , t h e w a x w i n g s p a s s e d a b e r r y b a c k a n d f o r t h , u p a n d d o w n a l i n e o f b i r d s , b e f o r e o n e s w a l l o w e d i t . W h e n I s t a r t e d r o l l i n g t h e b e r r i e s b e t w e e n m y t h u m b a n d i n d e x f i n g e r t o s o f t e n t h e m f i r s t , t h e w a x w i n g c o u l d d i g e s t t h e m m u c h b e t t e r . A p p a r e n t l y t h e i r c h a r m i n g h a b i t n o t o n l y h e l p s c e m e n t t h e i r s o c i a l b o n d s , b u t a l s o h e l p s t h e m d i g e s t t h e i r f o o d .
R e d p o l l s , c r o s s b i l l s , a n d o t h e r w i n t e r f i n c h e s a l s o m o v e i n l a r g e , h u n g r y f l o c k s . W e u s e d t o h a v e s o v e r y m a n y E v e n i n g G r o s b e a k s i n n o r t h e r n W i s c o n s i n a n d M i n n e s o t a t h a t i t s e e m e d l i k e t h e y w e r e s e t t l e d i n , t h o u g h b a n d i n g s t u d i e s s h o w e d t h a t a g r e a t m a n y o f t h e m o n l y r e m a i n e d i n a n e i g h b o r h o o d f o r a f e w d a y s o r e v e n h o u r s . B u t t h e r e a l w a y s s e e m e d t o b e a s m a n y b i r d s c o m i n g a s g o i n g , s o t h e n u m b e r s s e e m e d r a t h e r c o n s t a n t . E v e n i n g G r o s b e a k s h a v e d e c l i n e d g r i e v o u s l y t h r o u g h o u t t h e i r r a n g e , e s p e c i a l l y i n e a s t e r n N o r t h A m e r i c a , s i n c e t h e 1 9 8 0 s . T h e o n e s t h a t r e m a i n a r e s t i l l w a n d e r e r s . A f l o c k o f s i x v i s i t e d m y m o t h e r - i n - l a w s y a r d i n P o r t W i n g , W i s c o n s i n , o n N o v e m b e r 1 4 . T h e y w e r e t h e r e a l l d a y , f e e d i n g a t h e r s u n f l o w e r s e e d t r a y f e e d e r , i n h e r s p r u c e t r e e s , a n d o n s o m e f l u t t e r i n g b i r c h s e e d s , a n d t h e n v a n i s h e d .
T h e j o y a n d t h e f r u s t r a t i o n o f w i n t e r b i r d i n g a r e t i e d t o t h e s e u n p r e d i c t a b l e m o v e m e n t s . A N o r t h e r n S h r i k e m a y v i s i t o u r y a r d o n e d a y , s c a r i n g o f f a l l o u r f e e d e r b i r d s , b u t i t w i l l q u i c k l y m o v e o n , r e q u i r i n g a n e l e m e n t o f s u r p r i s e t o s u c c e s s f u l l y h u n t o b s e r v a n t l i t t l e b i r d s . R a r e s o n g b i r d s c a n a l s o t u r n u p a t a f e e d i n g s t a t i o n i n w i n t e r , e s p e c i a l l y d u r i n g N o v e m b e r a n d e a r l y D e c e m b e r . S u m m e r T a n a g e r s , B a l t i m o r e O r i o l e s , a n d P i n e o r C a p e M a y W a r b l e r s h a v e a l l a p p e a r e d i n n o r t h e r n W i s c o n s i n a n d M i n n e s o t a i n t h e p a s t . A n I n c a D o v e t u r n e d u p i n T w o H a r b o r s , M i n n e s o t a , f o r a f e w w e e k s i n D e c e m b e r 2 0 0 7 . W i n t e r b i r d i n g i s l i k e a b o x o f c h o c o l a t e s . Y o u n e v e r k n o w w h a t y o u r e g o i n g t o g e t , b u t e v e n w h e n t h e b o x i s a l m o s t e m p t y , e v e r y s i n g l e o n e i s s u r e t o b e s w e e t . APIC * image/png PNG
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