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it was only a few yards away.
Had I paid more attention to the bird activity on Monday afternoon rather than listening to the TV weathermen, I would not have been so surprised to find the air dense with snowflakes on Tuesday morning. Professional weathermen predicted only a dusting; birds knew more.
Birds are sensitive to changes in the barometric pressure; this sensitivity is an essential part of their equipment for survival in winter.
On the Monday before the storm, birds in our backyard began to feed heavily, starting at mid-afternoon. Competition for seed brought out feistiness in the otherwise gentle juncos. Doves flipped their wings at other birds that moved in too close. A house finch and a goldfinch mounted into the air — facing each other in a squabble.
The white-throated sparrow population was increased to nearly 30 birds. I gave up after counting that many doing the double-scratched dance step on the stone wall and the ground below.
I counted a total of 11 peanuts a jay scooped up and stored in his throat. Would he take these off and bury them, an insurance against a future snowstorm?
Birds began feeding before first light on Tuesday morning. Doves were first and were soon joined by cardinals. These two species are usually the earliest to arrive at our
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