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Winter Bird Survival

Many bird species simply pick up and head to warmer climates in search of a consistent food source, but winter migration is not necessarily the easiest choice.

JAVA CENTER NY — As winter knocks loudly at our door, it can be interesting to reflect on how wildlife survives during the winter. Birds are some of the easiest to observe, and so there are many opportunities to admire their many coping mechanisms.

Migration is the most obvious. Many species simply pick up and head to warmer climates in search of a consistent food source, but migration is not necessarily the easiest choice.

"If they have a year round food source, they'll stay because migration is hard. A lot of birds die during migration or get lost or injured or don't make it back. So, staying here in one place, they keep their territory. They don't have to go through all of the dangers of migrating," said Tom Kerr, a naturalist at Beaver Meadow Audubon Center.

Birds That Have A Consistent Food Source Are More Likely Not To Migrate.

For the birds that spend the winter in frigid climates, life can be difficult but sustainable as long as food can be found. However, that can prove to be a challenge.

Kerr says that it's a reminder that even in the winter, invasive plant species can prove to be disruptive.

"That's why native plants are important. They have seeds that winter over, and the birds are looking for those. They do find some insects. Woodpeckers will find some insects in tree bark," said Kerr.

A bird's feathers are one of their chief weapons in combating the cold.

"When they molt at the end of summer, they'll grow in a winter plumage. It's maybe thicker and warmer, not as bright, so it helps them camouflage, doesn't reflect as much light, but it absorbs some so when it's sunny it would help keep them warm," said Kerr.

And what about when the birds are all bunched up?

"They're trapping air under their feathers, you know, trapping warm air to their skin. It helps insulate them against the cold," said Kerr.

Though it would seem that Western New York is mainly a point of departure for birds migrating in the winter, it can also be a destination for some. The snowy owl is a stunning Arctic bird that often migrates here.

"Every year young snowy owls usually will come down from the Arctic, and it's not necessarily because they don't have enough food up there. It's because there was so much food over the summer that almost every single one of them hatched and survived. So now they need to spread out and disperse in the wintertime so they have enough food, and a lot of them come down here to the Great Lakes," said Kerr.

A little help from the human population is always an aid in winter survival. Bird feeders are especially important when everything else is under a blanket of white.

"They have to eat a lot to stay warm and stay active, and that's why they're here at these feeders. A lot of birds won't come to your bird feeder in the spring. Even chickadees won't come in the spring and summer because they're busy eating insects. In the wintertime, when food can be scarce, this helps supplement their food source," said Kerr.

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