Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Birds at Home in Ice and Snow

In my previous post I wrote about encountering Snow Buntings up close in what must be the best of all Snow Bunting winter worlds, i.e. being regularly fed cracked corn and sunflower seeds by kind humans. Much of the time their world however is very different. They have to find food in a universe where you'd think they couldn't possibly sustain themselves. Yet they do.

A flock of Snow Buntings and Horned Larks were feeding along a frozen tractor lane on a Vernon, VT farm.

















Only in the winter do Snow Buntings travel in large flocks as they feed on wide-open fields far away from any protective cover. Being a member of a flock protects the individual birds from predators as it increases awareness and dilutes the risk. It also helps them find food more efficiently.

The birds allowed us up to come quite close but occasionally, out of the blue, the entire flock would rise, sweep up, circle and then return to almost the same spot. While flying they were giving off a constant soft chirping which helps the flock stay in close contact.


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23 comments:

  1. Still all white with you, when I am picking my first Hellebores and primroses. Not fair, is it :-)
    Those birds look perfectly at ease in their white-out. Very decorative images.

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  2. Again an excellent set of this nice snow bunting. Well done Hilke!

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  3. Great series of shots Hilke of really interesting birds.

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  4. Wow Hilke your weather looks very severe compared to what we get (and can't cope with) in the UK. Lovely birds your Snow Buntings. A terrific set of images

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  5. Great photos of the little birds in the snow. Its hard to understand what they find to eat in to eat in the snow.

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  6. Lovely set of shots of these beautiful birds.
    It does make you wonder how they survive in such conditions.

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  7. Nice series of shots of this lovely bird!

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  8. They are just lovely--and I love the shot of the farm--wonderful!

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  9. Amazing little survivors of the Snow Queen's domain.
    Hilke, I hope you do not mind me downloading your last photo just to have a reminder of what snow looks like. I miss it so much living in our very hot climate.

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  10. I've often wondering how birds seem to survive on their own in the snowy cold climates. Your last picture is just lovely!

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  11. I agree, the winter landscape is a brilliant composition that draws the eye deep inside it. Your Snow Buntings are gorgeous, what a fantastic flock!

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  12. wonderful captures of these winter birds! I think that snow buntings are a fascinating species, and they are really gorgeous too.

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  13. Stunning photos! Winter is so pretty in your pictures.
    Have a nice evening:)

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  14. Absolutely amazing photos of beautiful birds!

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  15. what a bird, I ave only sen them once over here... real privelidge too..... lovely snow scenes too

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  16. What great little birds - makes me wonder how they would cope with the helping hand of seed throwing birders!!!

    (I assume that they are not just eating snow!)

    Cheers

    Stewart M

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  17. Great shots of the Snow Buntings Hilke! I really enjoyed the photo of the farm house too. Just beautiful. Thanks for a wonderful look at your world.

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  18. Hi Hilke. Amazing to see these little fellows searching for food in such a white landscape. Is that a shot of home?

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  19. Marvelous birds! You should serve towels with your photos though, for sopping up drool. Love the landscape, too. Your Horned larks are wonderful. I've never gotten good shots of them. Keep 'em coming, baby!

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  20. Amazing snow bunting photos! Gorgeous!

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  21. Thank you all for your kind remarks. I feel so fortunate to have seen these beautiful birds close up and it fills me with amazement that they find enough food to sustain these large flock. The farm house was next to the lane where we found the birds.

    Frank, I live in a cozy log house a little closer to town - not as picturesque though.

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  22. Excellent.

    I love watching them fly as a group, their white plumage flashing.

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  23. All these little beauties make me want to brave the cold and snow to see if I can find me some!

    BTW, that's a gorgeous shot of the farm!

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