Weather and Redpolls at the Vermilon River. A Post to SWF.

This post is partially a follow up to my last post on Redpolls and also about weather. Mark Twain said" everybody talks about it, but nobody does anything about it"

I'm going to run true to form then and not do anything about it. I was startled when I talked about the temperatures up here ranging from minus 28C to 0 C. at the comments about cold. Cold is a relative thing. The coldest that I have ever been is standing on a beach in Clearwater, Florida at the end of February. I don't even remember the temperature, but I do remember the damp cold wind of the ocean going right through me. You see at minus 28 the humidity is very low; therefore you're not fighting dampness just a dry cold, and that's easy to do.

As well the snow that falls, if there is any, is not a wet snow, because it does not melt in the atmosphere, and refreeze it stays frozen. So you're not walking in slush,or wet snow which wets your boots and makes you cold.

 All this makes it easier to dress, because you don't need warmth plus waterproofing My boots are light weight with leather on the bottom area, although I do waterproof it, but the upper area is a light mesh material and the insulation is a thinsulate. I add an insole which is a foil on one side. My snow pants are also insulated and bibbed, and my short parka is made of down, which is light also. Under the parka I have two old sweat shirts so I can remove one if it's too hot.

 If it's warmer, then I wear different boots which are waterproof, but cumbersome and heavy. I wear a waterproof poncho over my coat which doesn't breath as well. I think you get the message. The cold only outfit is light, while the cold and wet one is heavy and cumbersome. Think of the wet gear a sailor wears on a fishing vessel in the Atlantic. Of course the head gear in the cold is a balaclava worn backwards until I need to protect my face.Backwards so the excess hat folds over my head. That way I don't lose heat through the top of my head. Usually when it's colder, the day is clear and the sun comes out and also warms you up.

The first series of shots are of the River in a warm period as you can tell from the fog overlaying the ridge. The fog turns to frost and sticks to the trees as shown in the pine shot and the shot opposite.

In the previous post I talked about the climate in which the Redpoll lives, which also amazed people that such a small finch can survive in my region, and that it's breeding grounds are even north of me in the Boreal forest and the Hudson's Bay area. I forgot to add they are voracious feeders. I'll end up feeding them and other birds about 24 kg of sunflower seeds a month until they migrate north. So food and metabolism are one of the answers.

But not the only answer. As you can see there is a goldfinch in the midst of these Redpolls. On Wednesday, one of the blogs showed Goldfinch near Dallas. I checked the temperature in Dallas and it was sunny and in the upper 60's F. I really don't think there's is much difference between the Goldfinch in Dallas and the Goldfinch here. I think nature equips these birds similarly but with the ability to adapt to their surroundings as long as food, shelter and water is available. 

The Goldfinch is all puffed up against the cold just as the Redpolls are. And are just as voracious in their feeding.

You can see the snow flying in this photo, but they're not leaving the food.

This one shows the puffed up feathers even better.

This is a female Redpoll. She lacks the red flash on her chest.

Another shot of the female.

They're flighty and I can't seem to catch a male. The one in the forefront of this group is a male.

As I said earlier they are quite aggressive feeders and don't even take a back seat to the Jays.

Look how puffed up the Jay is.

I like this shot of the crow because of the turn of his head.

And of course the Red Squirrel. A Post to SWF @ http://skyley.blogspot.com/  To see the Redpoll post go to the previous post.