Before I had a bird of my own I had no interest at all in winged creatures. I may have even thought they were boring. Then my sister brought home a breeding pair of lovebirds, and soon I had a cheeky little bird of my own, one I’d raised from an egg. Many years and one lovebird later, I am fascinated by birds of all kinds and am capable of watching them for hours on end (dorky, but true).
My apartment is a great spot for watching small birds like sparrows, chickadees, and dark-eyed Junco, and I’m amazed how these tiny things can survive just fine in cold weather. I think they look warmer out there than I do in my many layers… I’m a bit worried about them not finding enough food with all this snow so I decided to purchase seed for them and put it along my window sills. They are very entertaining as they help themselves to food and bob up and down to keep an eye on me through the window.
The Field Guide: Birds of British Columbia group on flickr for plenty more bird photos.
What gets me are the ducks and geese still sitting in the ponds that have nearly frozen over. That water can’t be anything other than freezing cold…how do they stand it? I wonder what the limits of avian tolerance to cold are and is Vancouver reaching those limits? Poor little birds 🙁
Thinking about sticking my feet in cold water gives me the shivers. Brrr.
I think birds do have a higher tolerance for cold than we do. There are birds that survive in colder places than Vancouver has been lately. If they can do it, we can do it. 🙂