Time and the Birds
Hi all,
Did you know that you can tell the temperature (F) by the chirping of crickets? Well, you can get a good approximation by noting the number of times that an un-threatened cricket chirps in 15 seconds, and then adding 37 to that number.
But what about birds? Do they have some sort of lock into the "Natural Cycle"? Glad you asked! Yes, in fact they do. Birds seem to have some sense of time. Here’s how the wife and I see it for winter on Cape Cod:
And here are two of the timekeepers now…
See you by the feeders, and be punctual!
CapeCodAlan
Did you know that you can tell the temperature (F) by the chirping of crickets? Well, you can get a good approximation by noting the number of times that an un-threatened cricket chirps in 15 seconds, and then adding 37 to that number.
But what about birds? Do they have some sort of lock into the "Natural Cycle"? Glad you asked! Yes, in fact they do. Birds seem to have some sense of time. Here’s how the wife and I see it for winter on Cape Cod:
- At first light everybody (cardinals, blue jays, sparrows, crows, squirrels, etc.) comes to feed.
- Somewhere around 10 AM the non-descript LBB (Little Brown Birds) such as chickadees, titmice, and nuthatches descend.
- Noon to 1 PM brings out the entire gang.
- Mid afternoon (3 PM) draws back the chickadees, blue jays, and the titmice.
- Just before dusk, pretty much everyone shows up.
- Finally, when dusk gets serious, Otis the Eastern Screech-Owl levitates onto the scene.
And here are two of the timekeepers now…
CapeCodAlan