Survival of fluffiest in winter
DO birds get fatter in the winter? Do they eat so much food that they become porkers to help them survive the colder months?
Well not really. While birds do need to eat as much food as they can find as temperatures drop, they have other mechanisms to keep them warm. It is something that interests many people who grow concerned for our feathered friends sitting outside while we stay warm with our central heating. And our concerns are not misplaced as many small birds and mammals will die in cold snaps.
While birds tend to have an average body temperature between 39 and 40C, when temperatures drop it will cause problems. This is where their feathers really come in handy and they will fluff up those feathers, trapping any warm air beneath them.
So those robins, long-tailed tits and pigeons will look a lot bigger as they fluff up into feathery balls. You may see them shiver, which is another short-term way to keep warm.
A bird’s feathers are oily, which makes them waterproof and protects them in wetter conditions.
But they need to find food and water in winter to help them survive. Your bird tables and feeders are a vital supplement to their diet. They will pay you back 10 times over by visiting your garden throughout the year.
Long-tailed tits have certainly been a success story with an increase in the region of about 30 per cent over the past 30 years. I have certainly seen a lot more around in the past two years.
I was out at Wigan Flashes the other day and a flock of tits flew towards a nearby tree, blue tits, great tits, a willow tit (wow!), coal tits and, there it is, a long-tailed tit.
These smaller birds, including the odd dunnock or two, tend to fly and feed in small groups to stay warm together. Long-tailed tits can be seen in hedgerows, woodland, parks and gardens.
They build a domed nest, lined with feathers, in a bush or the fork of a tree using moss, which they camouflage with cobwebs and lichen.
Tits hunt out insects and spiders amongst the smaller branches of trees in woodlands. But they will visit bird feeders in your garden or nearby park. They are beautiful birds with their tails bigger than their tiny bodies. They are black, white and pink with a white head and a black mask over their eyes.
When they fluff up in winter they look like a ball on a stick.
We are due a few more cold weeks so ensure the birds in your garden have food and fresh water.
To become a member of the Trust go to the website at www.lancswt.org.uk.
For more information about Cheshire Wildlife Trust call visit cheshirewildlifetrust. org.uk.