Frequently asked questions

41 - Q : What was the short-term impact for birds during the ice storm?

A : One of the difficulties facing winter birds was probably access to food during the ice storm. Species that need to feed frequently because of their high metabolism may have been affected most because of the prolonged shortage of food during the storm. Species that live in holes in trees (woodpeckers, chickadees, nuthatches, etc.) may also have been affected. On the other hand, species that are frequently subject to scarcity of food, such as birds of prey, probably fared better during the ice storm. More specifically, a species like the ruffed grouse may also have been affected because of its tendency to burrow under the snow, but this behaviour is mainly associated with periods of high snowfall and extreme cold, which was not the case during the ice storm.