Hector and I were out for a walk, noshing appetizing leaves we saw along the way. We moseyed with no particular destination in mind, as is our wont.
After a while we came upon a tree that was covered in berries even though it had lost all its leaves for winter. There were something like one hundred American Robins perched in the branches, busily eating the fruit.
“How huge they are!” Hector said to me, admiring the robins’ portly physiques. “I’ve never seen such obese birds. These robins must have fattened up for winter, don’t you think, Bernice?”
The robins did indeed appear quite heavy, but appearances can be deceiving. I explained to Hector that the birds were not fat at all – they had puffed out their feathers to keep warm. Did you know that birds do that? Birds use the heat from their bodies to warm the air between their feathers. Isn’t that interesting?
It seems like such small creatures would not be able to stay warm when it is very cold outside, doesn’t it? However, air is an excellent insulator and those of our feathered friends who choose not to travel south for the winter are indeed able to keep themselves warm.
Hector and I stayed by the tree for a while and admired the robins’ rust-colored chests. Then we decided we had better get back to fattening ourselves up for winter!
It sure is cold here in D.C.! Is it cold where you are?
I am sure it will come as a huge surprise that I find baby birds absolutely adorable. I know… I know… kittens, puppies, hatchlings: it’s so unusual to find these creatures cute! I am a real outlier here, folks!
Last year the mama blue jay laid four speckled eggs in early May. I stopped by every day for almost three weeks to see if the chicks had pecked their way out of their shells yet and then one day they finally did! There were four naked, shaky, teensy baby birds huddled together where the eggs had been.
Capital Giraffe - adventures of a washingtonian 