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Dear Bird Watcher,
We're sending out this newsletter from the middle of a snowstorm. The air is thick with snow. The ground is white. When I replenished the feeders outside this morning, the birds rushed around me. I love being close enough to hear the soft flit-fluts of their wings. --Diane
| Flowers for Birds |
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At our house, the garden catalogs start arriving just as the
short days begin to lengthen. How tempting the photos! I can
already see and smell next summer's garden
Now is the time to plan a garden whose blossoms will invite
birds of all kinds into the yard.
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| Ask Diane |
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Dear Diane: I'm a new birdwatcher, and I
see birds that aren't in my bird book. Are
some birds no particular kind?
Why can't I find them? --Gary G., Kerrville, TX
Each bird does belong to a species. And a good field
guide for your area should show every one.
Some birds don't look like the pictures in the book,
though. When they're moulting, or immature, or wet,
for example, they can fool a person. It's amazing
that birds are able to recognize their own species.
But they
do. And we can use the same clues they do to
recognize them.
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| If You Wear Glasses... |
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If you wear glasses, can you see the whole picture through
your binocular? Or is the image constricted?
If something's missing from your image, maybe you need
new binoculars. Find out how much more you might be able to see with binoculars designed to work with glasses!
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Photos copyright 2000-2007 Michael and Diane Porter.
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Feathered Fire |
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Feathered in stone-cold black, grey, and white, the nuthatch is
a ball of metabolic fire.
The smaller a bird's body, the faster it loses heat in winter.
A white-breasted nuthatch tips the scales at less than one
ounce, including feathers. You'd think it would freeze solid on a
winter night.
To help stay warm, birds can fluff up the downy feathers next
to their skin, for extra insulation.
But still, a nuthatch's entire body isn't as wide as the thickness
of my down jacket.
How does it survive? |
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