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Jean B.[_1_]

Julie Bove wrote:
>
> "Jean B." > wrote in message
> ...
>> wrote:
>>> On Tue, 27 Jan 2015 14:08:00 -0500, "Jean B." > wrote:
>>>
>>>> wrote:
>>>>> On Mon, 26 Jan 2015 20:37:58 -0500, Ed Pawlowski > wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>> The big snow starts after midnight. Expecting 24", maybe more.
>>>>>
>>>>> I guess it has left the USA now because it is here. I am just keeping
>>>>> my fingers crossed that the power does not go down The wind is
>>>>> due to gust at 100km around lunchtime.
>>>>>
>>>> It is still snowing here. When I awoke, late (I obviously was going
>>>> nowhere) and looked out the window, the snow looked quite innocent,
>>>> with
>>>> tiny flakes flakes drifting... I was going to say down, but they were
>>>> dancing all over the place. For a moment, I thought this must be a
>>>> good
>>>> sign, that there couldn't be that much snow on the ground. But when I
>>>> got to the point where I could gaze out at the bird feeders and toward
>>>> the road, I was greeted by the appalling sight of A LOT of the dreadful
>>>> white stuff. I had decided NOT to start dealing with this at a time
>>>> that would guarantee that I would get soaking wet, so I haven't
>>>> explored
>>>> yet. Instead I am pondering the most-logical approach. At least it
>>>> looks like the thoughtful plowing contractor has been on the job,
>>>> because we don't have a lot of compacted snow at the end of the
>>>> driveway.
>>>>
>>>> I will add that my main preparations were to get two more bird feeders
>>>> and a lot of bird food and suet, so my birds would be happy even if I
>>>> couldn't get to the feeders for a couple of days. Some idiot at one of
>>>> the places where I bought bird food told me I should take in my feeders
>>>> because the birds wouldn't be out. I am glad I was skeptical, because
>>>> the birds are very much in evidence.
>>>
>>> I have feeders on my balcony and there has been a lineup nearly all
>>> day with squatters on the rail and feeders occupied! Ground feeding
>>> birds find snow very difficult and need the extra. I put out lots of
>>> suet to try and keep them warm.
>>>
>> Same here. They really NEED to have their food. I can't imagine why
>> this guy said what he did. I sure hope he didn't convince anyone to
>> put away their feeders.
>>
>> I do have a question, which someone might be able to answer. One is
>> often told (or reads) that birds need water in the winter. BUT how on
>> earth did the birds survive before man started putting out water for
>> them? Obviously the birds DID survive without man putting it out.
>> What am I missing here?
>>
>> (And I do view food differently because I have been feeding the birds
>> and figure they make their nest near sources of food and thus become
>> reliant on those sources.)
>
> Before we built roads and houses like we have now, there were likely not
> only more natural sources of food but sources of water too! Things like
> a fallen log could hold water in the cracks of the bark. And naturally
> shady areas tend to hold moisture.
>
> I see now not only why we got that rat under our house but why my
> neighbor has a mud slide in front of his house. He did clean up the mud
> on Sunday only to have it come right back. Not only did he remove every
> bit of vegetation from his back yard but he totally leveled the land as
> well. The entire back yard is mud now. And it is on higher ground than
> the front yard that slopes towards the street. I also think there still
> is a broken pipe there that needs to be fixed because I had that problem
> as did the person on the other side of me. And we had over 24 hours of
> dry weather, yet the mud slide came back.

That's gross.

Re the birds and water, sure. But the moist areas are covered with
snow. I don't know what the birds are doing, but they survive. (Or
maybe I just don't see how many don't survive, which I am sure is the
case in general.)