January 9, 2021: Snow and Snowbirds

Last week it was the goldfinches that came out in droves - and they are still here - but this week, along with the snow on Friday, the juncos, aka snowbirds, made their appearance.  

Dark-eyed juncos arrived with the snow this week.

Juncos used to be considered as five unique species but were recently grouped into a single species named the dark-eyed junco.  They're commonly known as snowbirds because they so often appear along with the snow just as they did this week.  I haven't been able to find any concrete data that there is an actual correlation with snow so maybe they're just suddenly more visible against a white world rather than blending into the environment.  Range maps show they're in New Hampshire year round and I do see them at high elevation in the White Mountains during the summer, so they are always here.  They also breed farther north in Canada but don't remain there in winter, instead migrating southward so there are likely many more here when the weather gets cold.

Research has found that females migrate farther south than males do during the cold months.  A theory for this is that because the male locates and defends a pair's mating territory in the spring they need to get back to their breeding grounds first.  The females can come along later after the homestead is settled and just move in with their partner.

Dark-eyed juncos are a member of the sparrow family, foraging mostly on the ground for seeds though in summer they eat insects and will even flit up quickly to catch a bug on the wing - they are quite nimble fliers.

Juncos most often consume seeds.  And yes, birds have tongues!

Their primary feeding area being on the ground may explain why they're seen at feeders when the snow comes - with the forest floor covered they go in search of other food sources.  And perhaps they migrate south as the snow pack advances southward, staying near the boundary of snow and bare ground to find a compromise between access to food and a quick return to their breeding territory in spring.

Even though juncos go south for a warmer climate (they consider New Hampshire warm?) their insulation increases significantly; their feathers increase in weight by 30% in winter.  [Ref:  Birds and Blooms]   Building their nest on the ground, their dark-colored upper body is valuable in avoiding predators and it must work as juncos have long life spans, up to 11 years. [ibid]  Still, like many bird species, their population has declined dramatically, being reduced by a full 50% since 1966.  [Ref:  Cornell Lab of Ornithology]

Before the snowbirds appeared there was some great skating out on the smaller lakes.

Glassy ice before the snow made for smooth skating on Lake Wicwas.

I saw the first bob house on Wicwas on one skating trip around the lake.

The first bob house for the year on Wicwas.

The larger lakes are still open with very little ice cover on Meredith Bay, but there's still plenty of time for it to freeze over before the big Pond Hockey event on February 4th - 6th.  Even on the small lakes there are still open holes around the edges where streams flow into the lake.

This is the place to look for signs of otter activity!

On Tuesday, also before the snow, I took a hike up the Turtleback Mountain trail in the Ossipee Range on a crystal clear day.

The Turtleback Mountain Trail will be void of snowmobiles until the snow cover increases.

Heading down I stopped for a drink of water and set my pack on a large rock.

That's when I noticed, alive and thriving in a crack in this boulder, in the cold of winter, were a few tufts of green grass!

I'm sure the sun warming the rock with its large thermal mass helps keep things warm, but it's still an impressive feat for a small plant to be eking out a living in this tiny fissure in the cold of January.  And it shows that by hiding in this seam, a few little grass seeds escaped the beaks of those seed-seeking snowbirds.  

Whether mother nature brings us rain or snow, snowbirds or skatebirds, there's always something to see and do in the Lakes Region.

The low January sun backlights a majestic red oak.