All that glitters

All that glitters by ricmcarthur
All that glitters, a photo by ricmcarthur on Flickr.
We had another hoar frost today, perhaps the -20c (-4F) temperature had something to do with it.


The birds were swarming our feeders, desperate for a morning feed.

This is an American Tree Sparrow.

Spizella arborea

American Tree Sparrows need to take in about 30 percent of their body weight in food and a similar percentage in water each day. A full day's fasting is usually a death sentence. Their body temperature drops and they lose nearly a fifth of their weight in that short time.

The longevity record among banded American Tree Sparrows is 10 years 9 months.

Source - The Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

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