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Baby, it was cold outside!

I hope everyone is thawed out and back to normal after the recent deep freeze that swept across the country. I'm thinking especially of  Texas and the other southern states that were the hardest hit. Fortunately, we only had 6-8" of snow here in Missouri, although we did catch a frozen pipe before any damage was done to the inside of the house.

Fat Robin, original 5.5” x 5.5” watercolor painting 

Like most birds, Robins puff up their feathers to insulate their internal organs (see Fat Robin and Fat Robin II above). The outside of the feathers are cold, like the air. But just a few millimeters under the feathers, the bird's body temperature is a cozy 104°F. Amazing!

After my bird strike story, I read that putting up a window feeder could make birds more aware of the glass. Well, it didn't take long before said window feeder was bombarded by Robins during the cold spell! These birds were not afraid of me or my cats!

The Robins gathered, not only at the window feeder, but at the tray feeder...

...as well as below the feeders. At one point I counted three dozen Robins in and around my feeders! The snow is now gone and things are back to normal in our backyard. I only see a few Robins at any given time, and they are usually hunting for worms in the thawed ground or pairing up as they prepare for nesting season.

Friendly Squabble, original 7" x 7" watercolor painting

In Friendly Squabble, I was lucky to capture these two Robins in action as they waited (not-so-patiently) their turn at the feeder.

Did you know?

• The quintessential early bird, American Robins are common sights on lawns across North America, where you often see them tugging earthworms out of the ground. 
• Robins eat different types of food depending on the time of day: more earthworms in the morning and more fruit later in the day.
• Although robins are considered harbingers of spring, many American Robins spend the whole winter in their breeding range. But because they spend more time roosting in trees and less time in your yard, you're much less likely to see them.
• An American Robin can produce three successful broods in one year. On average, though, only 40 percent of nests successfully produce young. Only 25 percent of those fledged young survive to November. From that point on, about half of the robins alive in any year will make it to the next.
• The oldest recorded American Robin was 13 years and 11 months old. ~ fun facts from allaboutbirds.com 

Paint. Love. Repeat.

PS - Have you ever noticed the beautiful black and white pattern under the Robin's tail? I hadn't until my up-close-and-personal photo shoot with the Robins. Look again at my Fat Robin painting (top of page).