Cold nights and amazing survivability and a sunset for the heck of it

I pulled open the kitchen blinds this morning to see a thick crescent of frost outlining the panes of glass. The skies were clear and the wind was relatively light at 8mph. The temperature was well below zero at minus 21 degrees F, about as low as our thermometer can go. The Accuweather site says the “real feel” was minus 36 degrees F. S. let our dog Penelope right back in after feeding her on the back porch but normally she stays outside to patrol the yard for a bit. She wanted to go out again when I came downstairs. As I opened the back door to let her out I heard a bird chirping away.

A bird chirping (happily or not I do not know) just because that is what it does every morning. I don’t know what kind it was as I wasn’t going to stay out there in my pajamas and robe to spot it, but what a marvel!

How does a creature with only a covering of feathers and fluff over a tiny warm blooded body survive in weather such as this!!! We complain in our heated cars with seat warmers, while we wear layer upon layer of warm clothing and hurry from one warmed place to another. How do the birds make it through these days and nights? How long would we survive if we were left outdoors in these conditions?

Here is an article/site that will answer questions you may have about the winter birds.

http://www.birds.cornell.edu/celebration/challenge/survival-1/how-do-birds-survive-winter

Here is a sample from the site.

“Most birds respond to the cold in similar ways, but the temperatures that trigger their behavioral and physiological responses vary widely. In general the bigger the bird the easier it is to cope with cold temperatures.

Some behaviors and physiological responses that help them conserve heat include:

1. Tucking feet and legs into their breast feathers.
2. Fluffing their plumage. This traps air, creating an insulating layer.
3. Finding shelter. Birds use dense shrubs and tree cavities to conserve heat.
4. Increasing their metabolic rate, producing more body heat
5. Shivering (produces more metabolic heat)
6. Roosting closely together with other birds. (Up to ten bluebirds have been found to roost in the same tree cavity on cold nights)
7. Some birds like Black-capped Chickadees can 'lower their body temperature at night and enter regulated hypothermia, saving significant amounts of energy.
8. In addition, 'many birds store food and have exceptional spatial memory to relocate it, even a month later.' (from the on-line resource, Birds of North America”)

I still remember being touched by the documentary movie “March of the Penguins” in 2005 about the Emperor penguins in Antarctica and the way they have to huddle all through the long winter months rotating in and out of the middle so that all or most can survive. Amazing. Stay warm.

Lou