Are birds confused by this warm winter?

Birds take the weather as it comes. Wild Birds Unlimited - East Lansing, Michigan has received several calls and e-mails about hummingbirds, orioles, red-winged black birds and other migratory birds staying for the winter.

Migration south isn't a mandatory vacation. Migratory birds may linger in the north as long as there are still a lot of natural food sources available. If the snows every begin to blow, some birds may find they have to move further south.

NOAA's official Winter Outlook for 2011-2012  is that La Niñawill produce a winter that is drier and warmer than normal in the Northeast and some birds have chosen to stay north longer than usual. However, a seesawing of atmospheric pressure between the Arctic and the mid-latitudes creates a less predictable Arctic Oscillation that could produce dramatic short-term dips in temperatures this winter which may create a feeding frenzy at the feeders.

Related Articles:

• Where are the birds? http://bit.ly/zF9J0o
• Why isn’t the House Wren Migrating? http://bit.ly/yZfv24
• Hummingbird in the Snow http://bit.ly/zYuDqn   
• When is bird migration over? http://bit.ly/wu5NH7
• 2012 Winter Finch Forecast: Good news for the birds http://bit.ly/wqE3Mn