Birdwatching in Winter!
Image by kevincole via Flickr
Birds are rather scarce in winter because they migrate to warmer places so birdwatching is mostly confined to the south, where places are frost-free and the temperatures are a little higher. There are birds however, who are hardy enough to stay through the cold even when food is scarce and the temperatures are below freezing.
During winter, birdwatching is normally confined inside the house, where an avid bird fan can just watch from the window. But for some brave souls who venture out in the cold to find the birds, there are also some wonderful species to see.
Some birds who stay for winter are not really locals, but birds flying in from farther north. Some of them are song sparrows, crows, goldfinches, meadowlarks and sometimes, purple finches, bluebirds and robins.
Some birds migrating to the south might linger in winter, especially in the Northern and Middle parts. These birds are the winter wrens, warblers and brown creepers. There are also the ‘visitors’ like the tree sparrows, horned larks and the snowy owl.
To find these birds, a birdwatcher can seek open fields, where there are seeds available for food and where birds can usually be seen
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