We were amused last Fall to find sunflower seeds sprouting in the bird feeder!  

Since our recent snows, the bird feeder has taken on a new character!  

 While most of the birds have migrated to warmer climates, 
some stay here even during the Winter.

How do they stay warm?  What do they eat?  Where do they sleep?

Birds that remain in cold climates during the winter survive by...

1) Grouping together, which helps them conserve warmth and provides more security. 
The more eyes there are, the less chance that a predator can sneak up.

2) Eating as much as possible when food is available. 
Overeating will keep them warmer longer!
The diet of winter birds varies with each species. 
They might eat seeds, aquatic insects, fish, wood boring beetles and their larvae, overwintering insect larvae, mammals, other birds and/or plants.

3) Puffing up their feathers and resting, when no food is available. 
Puffed up feathers trap air which keeps out the cold, while keeping in the warmth.
When resting the birds burn up a lot less "calories" than when active.

4) Staying out of the wind, by perching close to a trunk and near the ground, 
when resting or sleeping on branches. 

5) Roosting in a cavity, such as an old woodpecker nest, rotten log, 
or crevice in a building!

6) Growing a thicker plumage in the winter.