Tweets,
After seeing Gray-crowned Rosy-finch twice this
winter, I was thinking about the roosting places I had
seen them in and why they were using these areas. I
hypothesized that they might be going into nightly
torpor to preserve energy, and needing good places to
hole up during the night. Here is an article about
torpor in Rosy-finch:
http://elibrary.unm.edu/sora/Condor/files/issues/v091n03/p0739-p0741.pdf

Question: Of the places you have seen Rosy-finch
Roosting overnight in the winter, is it in
inaccessible rock cliffs, and are the cliffs NOT
exposed to evening sunlight? The 2 cliffs I have seen
them in are facing East (Huntzinger road) and
Southeast(below Lower Monument dam), and get NO
sunlight in the late afternoon as the birds come in to
roost. Do they prefer cool rock-faces rather than
warm ones, to go into torpor easier and use less
energy overnight?
I will compile and post any answers I receive from the
group.
Thanks!
Guy


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Guy McWethy
Renton, WA
mailto: lguy_mcw at yahoo.com



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