Snow-covered plants and ground can be especially challenging for birds. Even with human-introduced feeding, birds still consume three-quarters of their diet elsewhere, says Cornell University experts.

Gloria Wright / The Post-Standard / 2009 Project FeederWatch, a winter-long survey of birds at feeders throughout North America, kicks off today.

Guide to North American Birds. Audobon. ... These devices will keep snow, and sometimes rain, ... Its four feeding ports have a flower-like design on a base with a brushed copper finish.

By now, you've likely noticed, not all birds head south for the winter. Some hardy souls stay put, toughing out these cold, gray months of the year, while making them a bit brighter for the rest ...

Bird-feed sales actually are above last years, Haas said. Although sunflower seed is a staple of backyard feeders and the preferred food of the largest number of species, birds enjoy lots of other ...

Feed birds in winter ... northern cardinals, American goldfinches, dark-eyed ... overhanging covers are better in the winter because the landing areas and dispensers won’t be buried by snow.

And the bird is distributed throughout North America, even into Alaska, Winger said. How birds can make their own down coat "Robins are really good at moving locally to find fruit," he said.

As snow cover melts in some regions, birds will be looking for green spaces and open water, Farnsworth says, adding that young birders should also check the trees. “Big trees, like oaks, have ...

Their feathers, roosting behaviors and adaptability help birds survive the cold, “nature’s proving ground.” By Margaret Roach Winter mornings begin at David Sibley’s Deerfield, Mass ...