A children's song about autumn sings:
Birds fly south, Geese, rooks, cranes.
That's the last flockWaving wings in the distance.
Ducks, swans, swallows, starlings, larks, nightingales, cuckoos, wagtails and various other species are still flying away, most of which are familiar to city residents only from images. But there are many who remain.
Why are frosts not terrible?
And which birds stay for the winter? Who is not afraid of severe Russian frosts and deep snow? What kind of birds can be seen all year round in the city and in the forest?
Birds roam not only for warmth, but also for food. If there is something to feed in the cold, they do not fly away. Warm plumage, the ability to stray in flocks, the ability to hide in various buildings and human help allow birds to overwinter. Although prolonged severe frosts can drastically reduce their numbers. Many fairy tales of the northern peoples say: “It was so cold that the birds froze on the fly.”
City dwellers
The question of which birds stay winter in the city is easy to answer. On thePigeons are waiting for their usual places to feed. Every morning and evening, gray crows fly in flocks from their places of overnight stay on large trees in courtyards and parks outside the city and back. Magpie, common crow, jay can be seen near the houses. In the frosty air, the sound of a woodpecker on an old tree in the park is heard far away. In winter, it is even easier to find it by the sound and crushed bark lying on the snow and see it among the bare trees.
Increasingly, in large cities of the middle lane, you can see ducks and even swans on non-freezing ponds, which people feed. Although until recently these wintering birds, whose names and photos are widely represented in special literature, were very rare. Reducing harmful emissions from enterprises contributes to an increase in the number of bird species in the city, which is an indicator of the well-being of its ecology.
Old acquaintances
Cheerfully whistling at the windows and balconies, where they have already been fed, wintering birds, whose names are familiar from childhood: sparrows, siskins, goldfinches, different types of tits - large and crested, chickadee and Muscovite, long-tailed, as well as nuthatch.
It is difficult to see tits in the city in summer, but by winter they migrate closer to human habitation, they can fly to a familiar window for several years in a row.
Flocks of bright bullfinches and waxwings fly noisily from one rowan tree or small-fruited apple tree to another, leaving many pecked berries on the snow. During the thaw, overripe berries can ferment, then the birds, having eaten them, behave like drunks. They arelose their bearings, hit walls and fall.
These are wintering birds, whose names and photos are a symbol and decoration of the harsh season. The appearance of bullfinches and waxwings always attracts attention and pleases.
The Science of Kindness
Wintering birds for children become an object of study and care. Together with their parents and caregivers, they make and fill the feeders, see who flies to them. They observe how they behave if they have to share food, wintering birds. The kindergarten and playground with feeders attract sparrows, tits, and pigeons from all around. Grains, seeds, table scraps, bits of lard are in great demand in these bird canteens.
Heavy pigeon can overturn the hanging feeder, you have to invent different designs for small birds.
It's always interesting to watch cheeky sparrows snatch crumbs and seeds from under the noses of important pigeons. Magpies chirp and jump, respectable crows walk. Such lessons of communication with wildlife are very memorable for children. It is very important to know which birds remain to winter in the city, to prepare for their appearance, to feed them in harsh times. This is the science of kindness for a child.
Which birds stay in the forest for the winter?
The north and central Russia are buried in snow in winter, rivers and lakes freeze. Waterfowl and wading birds fly south. Observant skiers, hunters and outdoor enthusiasts know what birds winter in our forests.
In the cold weather in the forest you canhear and see tits, woodpeckers, crossbills, nutcrackers. Some species of thrush fly away, but the fieldfare and blackbird can remain wintering at the latitude of the Leningrad region, especially with a plentiful harvest of mountain ash. More often old males remain.
Easily find food and can hide in the snow from predators such large birds as capercaillie, black grouse, partridges and hazel grouse.
Predatory hawks, owls, tawny owls, eagle owls, owls winter in their nesting areas, although some species migrate from more northern regions. They can be found not only in the forest, but also in parks, gardens, cemeteries, in holiday villages, where they hunt small birds and rodents.
Taiga game
If someone saw and heard a flock of large birds taking off from under their feet, they will hardly ever forget the fright and surprise from such a meeting.
The smallest representatives of wild chicken - quail, winter in Africa, South Asia. But their relatives hazel grouse, black grouse, capercaillie and partridge have always been a welcome winter and spring prey for Russian hunters. Taiga game meat has a delicate resinous flavor and is highly valued.
Deep snow serves as a home and bed for these birds. In the evening, a flock of stones falls into a snowdrift from trees and hides in it from frost and wind. And in the morning it takes off to feed again on needles and buds. In severe frosts, a flock can stay in the snow all day.
But a snowdrift can also become a grave for birds if a hard crust forms on it, and hazel grouse or partridges do not have enough strength to break through it and get out.
And when the first thawed patches appear, the time comes for capercaillie and black grouse to bewitching displaying. During the marriage songs, they do not hear anything, for which they received their names.
Thrifty Nutcracker
The long winter keeps some birds stocking up. Among the Siberian fishermen there is an expression: "Kedrovka let down the whole bump." The thing is that in a year when there are few pine nuts, almost the entire crop is stored by this bird. Hearty, rich in tasty and he althy oil, nuts help to endure the harsh winter and raise chicks in the spring. Nutcracker makes tens of thousands of bookmarks of nuts, 10–20 pieces each, in secluded places and remembers them for several months! Some of the reserves, of course, are stolen by other inhabitants of the taiga, from chipmunks to bears, forgotten "treasures" sprout, give rise to new groves of Siberian pine.
Winter Chicks
What other birds roam to those places where many seeds of coniferous trees were born, and manage to fearlessly breed chicks in February?
These are crossbills. In our country there is a crossbill-spruce. Beautiful colorful birds with tenacious paws and a crossed beak deftly extract and crack the seeds, then drop the cones to the ground.
In January-February, they begin to build warm two-layer nests. The male brings food to the female sitting on the nest, she incubates the eggs for a little more than two weeks, and then the parents feed the chicks for another three weeks. Sometimes crossbills postpone nesting until spring, hatching chicks only in May.
Life never stops
Not for the curious observerthe secret is that not only the well-known tits, pigeons and sparrows winter near us, but also tap dancers, oatmeal, smurfs, kinglets and three to four dozen other species. During trips and walks, you can get acquainted with a variety of representatives of birds, learn to distinguish between their voices and footprints in the snow. There are even mobile applications that allow you to identify birds by voices in the field.
Hanging a feeder from a plastic bottle or pouring crumbs from the table onto the windowsill is not at all difficult, but it is so interesting to watch the birds and understand that life in nature does not stop even in winter.
