On this sunny but very cold morning in central Missouri, I took my usual drive through the farmlands east of Columbia. As expected, many birds were clearly sheltered from the chill in thickets and woodlands.
But I did encounter some of the more hardy species along the graveled roads and above or on the broad fields and pastures. Sixty or more Canada geese had settled on a partially frozen lake, a few flocks of dark-eyed juncos rose from the weedy roadsides as I passed, a large congregation of mourning doves foraged along the edge of a crop field, several American kestrels hunted from power lines, a Cooper's hawk streaked across my path in pursuit of unseen prey and an adult bald eagle soared overhead, oblivious of the frigid conditions.
Protected by the warm confines of my pickup, I admired the tenacity of those open country birds. Of course, they have evolved to tolerate such conditions and, unlike we humans, are not discouraged by temperature readings or dire weather forecasts.
