Subject: [Tweeters] Surviving storms
Date: Dec 14 01:32:52 2006
From: Suzanne Krom - szkrom at drizzle.com


Our recent high winds and last month's arctic conditions remind me of a question I've had for years -- Do we know how birds survive storms? How do they protect themselves from high winds, especially those that shift direction? Once their feathers become damp or even wet from a drenching rain, how do they maintain an internal temperature that enables them to endure continued cold and windy conditions? Some birds are able to stay dry during an extended downpour -- where do they go to be able to accomplish this? And finally, if we know something about this subject, how were studies conducted? It seems like a very tough subject to investigate.
Suzanne Krom
West Seattle
szkrom at drizzle dot com