Surviving Severe Winter Weather Part 2: Native Birds
by Wendy Oellers-Fulmer, 2/3/2026
With the heavy snow and extreme cold we’ve been experiencing, it’s a wonder how native birds, who don’t migrate, survive the harsh weather. Birds who stay here during the winter have both behavioral and physical adaptations to ensure their survival. But two issues have to be addressed for wild birds to survive in winter; maintaining an elevated body temperature and finding food in order to keep warm. The main strategy is maximize calories taken in while minimizing, as much as possible, the calories spent.
- In bitterly cold weather, birds will appear to be fatter and larger. In actuality, they are fluffing up their feathers to “thicken” the insulation to help keep the heat at their core. Some species, like chickadees, will travel as a group and huddle up together for warmth in sheltered locations, like crevices and tree holes.
- Birds will reduce their body temperature as another way to decrease heat loss. The more the body temperature is similar to the environment, the less impact of losing critical heat. Some birds, (i.e. chickadees) will go into a state of torpor. Torpor is an interval of time where a bird lowers its breathing rate, heart rate, & body temperature. This temporary state allows the bird to conserve critical energy but allows it to wake up and quickly move if necessary. As most birds consume their calories in the day, reducing their body temperature and/torpor allows them to conserve the “fat” they have built up during the day.
- Some birds, like the intrepid chickadee and nuthatches will cache (store) their food. In fact, ornithologists have discovered that the chickadee’s brain will expand 30% in the winter, which is believed to help them remember where they have stashed their food source. Grouse are unusual in that they will burrow under the snow. Unlike small birds, they have the size and strength to leave the burrow even if ice has frozen over the top.
If you are feeding the birds in winter, it’s important to be consistent. Once again, flying back and forth to a food source requires energy. If they arrive at their preferred food source location, and it’s empty, they now have to fly further to find sustenance.
To discover more:
How Birds Survive Winter: Torpor, Hibernation, and Migration
Surviving Severe Winter Weather
by Wendy Oellers-Fulmer, 1/27/2026
While we sat safely in our heated homes during this past Sunday and Monday blizzard, have you ever wondered how wildlife survives the harsh winter storms and blizzards?
First of all, wild animals have, through the millennia, evolved to survive natural disasters like severe blizzards and storms. They have the ability to sense barometric pressure drops (which occurs during a storm), detect shifts in humidity, and even hear low frequency sounds from a distance. Many adaptations like thick fur, specialized feet, extra fat, etc. help the birds and mammals keep warm on the coldest of days. This ability to sense incoming storms tells the animal to get ready.
Pre-storm adjustments: While birds will increase their food intake, they and other wildlife will seek sheltered locations in tree cavities, burrows, or under dense brush to escape wind and snow. Animals, like squirrels and chickadees cache their food which they can access during the worst of the weather.
During the Storm Survival Actions:
- Kleptothermy (Huddling): Some species of animals will huddle together to share body heat and maximize warmth.
- To conserve energy, animals may enter a state called torpor and/or reduce their activity to lower their metabolism, heart rate, and body temperature.
We will be exploring how different species survive our harsh New England winters in upcoming Nature Corners.
To fly deeper into understanding:
How Does Common Wildlife Deal With Heavy Snowfall?
What Strategies Does Wildlife Use To Survive Blizzards? – Weather Watchdog
It’s a Hoot When You Live in NH! Part 2
by Wendy Oellers-Fulmer, 1/20/2026
Owls are top predators, skilled at locating and hunting their prey. What is remarkable is that they are nocturnal, which means their survival depends on the adaptations that allow them to hunt at night.
Depending on the type of owl, their habitat and prey might differ, but they all have common characteristics which place them at the top of the food chain.
Adaptations and Characteristics: Owls all have similar body shapes with long, rounded wings and a short tail. Their legs are strong for their size, and their sharp talons help to secure their prey.
Vision: Their heads are large, broad enough to allow for the unusually large eyes which are fixed in place and can’t move from side to side. (In comparison, if we had eyes that large, our eyeball would be the size of an orange!). To accommodate this, owls can turn their heads more than 180 degrees in either direction, allowing them to compensate for a lack of depth perception, as their vision is binocular. Owls are NOT blind in daylight, because their pupils can contract independently, protecting the retina. They can actually have better daylight vision than humans.
Hearing: In addition to keen eyesight, many owls have asymmetrical ear openings, enhancing their ability to localize in two different planes at the same time!
Feathers, Coloration and Tufts: Most owls have a nap on their flight and feathers which makes their flight virtually soundless. Their potential prey cannot hear these stealthy hunters. Most owls are patterned with bars, streaks and/or spots which help them camouflage against the bark of trees. Owls will also use their tufts of feathers (some look like horns) to camouflage and/or disguise themselves, as they can look like twigs or branches.
When you add all these adaptations together, you can understand why owls are considered apex/top predators in the ecosystems of New Hampshire and around the world.
To fly deeper into understanding:
It’s a Hoot When You Live in NH!
by Wendy Oellers-Fulmer, 1/13/2026
While the iconic Barred Owl is one that is commonly seen and heard in New Hampshire, did you know that we actually have 11 owls that can be found in the Granite State?
These nocturnal birds, considered birds of prey and top predators, all have important roles in our ecosystems. They can range in size from the tiny Northern saw-whet owl at 8 inches to the grand Great Horned Owl at 27 inches tall with a wingspan that can be as long as four feet.
While some of these owls (Snowy Owl, Boreal Owl and Northern Hawk Owl) are considered seasonal visitors, the remainder are year round in different parts of the state. In addition, some of these owls can be a challenge to discover with their secretive behavior like the Long-Eared owl and Barn owl who are both rarely spotted.
The different species have strategies that help them survive, (diet, hunting style, habitat, nesting) which can differ from owl to owl. But they all share common adaptations which will be presented in Part 2.
A List of NH owls:
Snowy Owl
Northern Hawk Owl
Boreal Owl
Short-eared Owl
Northern saw-whet Owl
Barn Owl
Eastern Screech Owl
Long-eared Owl
Barred Owl
Great horned Owl
Great Gray Owl