BACKYARD SECRET – THE DOWNY HAS A SPECIAL WAY TO DEAL WITH THE COLD
backyardwildlifeconnection by Terry W.Johnson
Georgians deal with the bitter cold in a number of ways. However, earlier this week we were truly tested. The temperature dropped to 14º. Now I know that is not as cold as it gets where many of our fellow bloggers live, but it is indeed cold here in the Peach State.
Living in a rural area prior to the temperature dropping into the teens, we have to make sure that our water pipes don’t freeze. In our case, this means turning on strong lights in the well house to keep the pump and pipes found there will not freeze. We also wrap our outside faucets. In addition, we let the faucets steadily drop water throughout the night.
While we can take these and other measures to keep from suffering from the bitter cold, our wildlife neighbors have few ways to deal with the cold of a winter night As such, they often face a life or death situation just trying to stay warm. However, I am always amazed when I learn of some to the ways these seemingly defenseless creatures have found ways to survive winter’s icy cold temperatures. Here is an example of what I mean.
During the fall downy woodpeckers, cavities downys excavate to serve as roost sites typically face away from the prevailing wind. Meanwhile those dug at other times of the year are randomly oriented. Many experts believe this is because in winter, the interiors of cavities that face into the prevailing winds get colder than those facing away from them.
