Date: 1/30/26 9:12 am From: Dominik Mosur via groups.io <dominikmosur...> Subject: Re: [pen-bird] Scientific inquiry
All birds do this. Just the other day I watched a mixed flock of juncos
and crowned sparrows nestling in dirt/gravel on a hillside mid morning ,
some of them leaning over to one side and lifting their wings probably to
increase surface area exposure to the sun’s rays. I’ve seen hawks,
hummingbirds, wrens and others do this as well; I think it’s a universal
behavior, exhibited by all birds, depending on availability of secure
sunning areas.
Dominik
On Fri, Jan 30, 2026 at 09:05 B Westree via groups.io <blwestree=
<yahoo.com...> wrote:
> The following message isn’t specifically about peninsula birds but I hope
> it’s of general interest.
>
> A week ago I was birding at Jepson Prairie Preserve. It was cold, about 45
> degrees, windy like it always is there, and sunny. Alongside the entrance
> road there’s a set of rusty, abandoned RR tracks. Sitting on the tracks
> and bedding rocks were dozens of killdeer. Just sitting or strolling
> around. Not feeding, like there was a feast of bugs btwn the stones, or
> displaying. Just sitting.
> I imagine that they may have been warming themselves on the substrate that
> was probably warmer than the soil or the damp grass. And so it would seem
> this would be a common behavior. But apart from seeing TVs warming
> themselves on cold mornings, I’ve never seen other birds do it. Certainly
> not songbirds or shorebirds. Anyone have thoughts or observations about
> it?
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