Too cold to feel comfortable
With temperatures dropping to minus 13 this bird tried its best to keep warm. I found him close to a public footpath and thought he was dead, but no, with his head under his wings he needed a rest. I could come very close, even touched him gently. Then suddenly he lifted his head with its strong long beak and gave me a startling look before he escaped to the next tree nearby.
It is a Woodpecker. With his colorful garment he is easy to recognize especially in winter. The European green woodpecker spends much of its time feeding on ants on the ground and does not often 'drum' on trees like other woodpecker species. It is a shy bird but usually draws attention with its loud calls. The woodpecker's nest is a hole, excavated in a tree, where you can find four to six eggs, which hatch after 19–20 days
(wikipedia.org/wiki/Gr%C3%BCnspecht#/media/File:Naumann_gruenspecht.jpg)
Thanks for reading. Have a beautiful day!
This bird is very cute! Sleeping in the ground trying to stay warm! You should give him a blanket!
Hi @kaminchan thanks for your comment. You are the only one to react with words. You are my faithful vistor! Yesterday later in the day I came back to that place where I have found that bird to see if he might be there. I was afraid to find it frozen on the ground. A couple of days ago I have found a dead blackbird. Hard time for the birs right now and not only for the birds.
I am glad you didn't find a dead woodpecker!! She is very beautiful and I believe that she has a family!
I read that the impact of this 'little ice-age' will force people to migrate south as crops will fail and famine will ensue! I am afraid that lots of animals will die off as well as plants and crops! You should search on this topic as people's livelihood and lifestyle will certainly be forced to change drastically.
This is what I found out: Be assured, there is no ice age around the corner. To those with lingering doubts that an ice age might be imminent, turn your eyes towards the northern ice sheets. If they're growing, then yes, the 10,000 year process of glaciation may have begun. However, currently the Arctic permafrost is degrading, Arctic sea ice is melting and the Greenland ice sheet is losing mass at an accelerating rate. These are hardly good conditions for an imminent ice age.
A great story and yes, nature has taught all birds to draw warmth from her ground! Many times do we find Guinea Fowls scrubbing holes in the ground and then they lay in the hollows to keep warm! Deserves an Upvote!